Bloodlines: Control IC

[Jansviper]

Waking up is like flicking a switch.

One moment, there is nothing. You don't even have a concept of time to compare the void before waking to the sensation of now. The very idea of seperate moments is startling for a moment, as you have never had one before this and have no idea if there will be one in the future. Knowledge bubbles up from the dark recesses of your brain telling you that time is linear, there is a before and an after, and you have existed or will exist in both. But you can't be sure, because for you this could be the very beginning of everything.

All you know for sure is that this is the first time, the very first time, that you have known anything at all.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The alley was the black sheep of its kind. Other alleys tended to scorn it, poke fun, and play tricks with its belongings. They would make nasty remarks about conduct unbecoming of an alley, and about not really being an alley at all but more of a hopped up courtyard with nowhere to go.

They would be correct.

The large square courtyard is in pristine condition. There is no trash or mark of rodents, the walls are old but not dirty, and the cobbled ground is down right clean compared to other parts of the city. On three sides, massive buildings raise up and seem to block in one's view of the sky. The sun is directly over head, shining its light down into the courtyard, but the tall structures make it feel oh so far away.

If anyone had wandered into the alley that led to the courtyard from its west end, they would have come upon a strange sight. Six people were lying in the courtyard, arranged in a hexagon with one person's head resting on the next person's ankles and the person before them's head resting on their ankles (etc. etc.).

There were three men and three women, alternating in the chain, and all were stunning to behold. Lithe and well build, with flawless white skin tanned with just a hint of healthy activity and brilliant golden hair falling to the shoulders, it is astonishing to see the physical perfection found in these six.

On a second glance, a slightly more disturbing conclusion is reached. One has odd tattoos on his shoulders that look like they may descend down his back, another has faint carvings of some kind laid into his skin and... is that a tail? Two of the females stand out a bit more than the third, though all are ridiculously beautiful, and one of the males is a bit larger than the others. However... it is downright uncanny how similar they look. If one had the word for it, sextuplets would come to mind despite the differences in gender.

The matching clothing, pale grey surgical scrubs, does not help to detract from this.

However, no one is around to make these observations.

A twitch runs through them as they wake up.

Your wakeups need not be the same, everyone generally has the first thoughts mentioned at the top of the post but after that you have free reign. Please do not c&p that section, I'll assume it happened. You currently know nothing, though words, phrases, and their meanings will come to you as if you have spent a lifetime speaking common. Actions such as walking, talking, eating, etc. will feel strange (as if you have been out of practice for a long time) but you will know how to do them as well.

Characters that use a weapon will feel an odd ache, as if a piece of them is missing. Spellcasters will have the opposite problem as you may have a little too much power running around inside of you.

[WhiteKnight777]

Blood. It was life. It pounded through the veins, fed the muscles, brought the brain to life. Sweet, thick, succulent copper. And flesh - the flesh was life, too. Hot, steaming meet, suffused with chemicals and brief bursts of electricity. So fine an edge. So thin a line.

Delicious.

He - for he knew he was male, even before the name came up like a bubble of marsh gas, burning brief and bright and dancing on his brain, casting shadows into corners and banishing the cobwebs as his thoughts began to move again, slowly at first, but quickly moving faster and faster, whirling like dancers about an ever-growing pyre. He looked down at his fingertips, and felt power there. He flexed his hands, and knew he was strong - strong in more ways than one, he mused, as syllables came to the fore of his mine, words of arcane power and hidden import, like the secret language at the heart of the universe. It was a wonderful feeling, this power. He smiled, and whispered his name.

Zol

He looked around at the others, feeling an odd...connection to them. There was something of him in them, and them in him. He breathed deeply, and he felt more words bubbling up from unremembered depths.

Who... are we? And where are we? I remember... nothing. Not there... and then.. there.

[Whiplord]

The woman blinked in the light filtering down. Blink. Blink. Her eyes opening and closing almost lethargically in their movements. Blink. Blink. She slowly sat up, the muscles in her back clenching and twitching in a most unfamiliar fashion as some contracted and others stretched to accommodate her movement. Her head slowly turned, looking around her. Looking at herself.

Blink. Who were these people? Noticing the arrangement of the others, she looked behind herself as well, her neck craning around and downwards. Yes. There was one behind her too. Blink. Had she been like that too? She must have been. Seemingly as an experiment the woman's arms stretch upwards. An elbow joint cracks as it bends, complaining at it's disuse.

Both arms straight up now, casting shadows across the courtyard that stretched disproportionately up the far wall. Blink.

Fingers twitched, convulsively moving back and forth in a frenetic wave. Her skin seemed itchy. Blink. Experimentally she brought one hand down, scratching at the back of the other. Scritch scratch. Scritch scratch.

The woman frowned. The itching didn't seem to help; if anything it got stronger. It felt different somehow. She paused to analyze that thought in her head. Different from what? Never mind. She filed that away in her head to be worked out or not worked out at her leisure.

There were more important things right now. The itch. Scritch scratch. Still no relief. It was almost as if the sensation came from beneath her skin. As if dozens of tiny creatures were crawling through her bloodstream. Interesting. She filed that thought away too.

Blink. Her knees came up to her chest, drawn up slowly, her feet making an elongated dragging sound as they moved along the cobble-stoned ground. Her hands slowly came down to her side, palms against the ground, fingers splayed disjointedly.

Blink. Push. Shuffle. She pushed against the ground, attempting to straighten slowly, more cracks sounding from various joints in the woman's body. A foot shot out, sliding along the ground as she bent, attempting to keep her balance. A catch. She stood.

Blink.

A strange sensation from behind her. The woman frowned for the second time that day. Bending her neck and arching her back, craning to get a view of what might be causing this sensation. Blink. Just... a little more.

Stare.

A..tail? The tail twitched as if in response to the thought. It was black and leathery, yet smooth at the same time, thin and whip-like as it moved through the air. At the end was a triangular point. It looked like it might be sharp. Maybe.

The tail moved through the air. If she concentrated slightly the woman found she could control its movement.

Swish. Whir. Slip. Srish. Srii. Whip. Ssurii.

Yes. The woman smiled. An almost impish grin worked it's way across her beatiful features, lighting up her face.

"Ssurii."

[OverWilliam]

Thought is the Heartbeat of the mind. So constant, ever present in the mind, to feel its absence is to be dead. So strange it was not to have any thoughts at all. His mind was empty, the hollow lack of process, having nothing now and nothing to prompt any to come, the chain reaction of mental activity silent. His eyes watered, burned.

He blinked.

The movement was at once reflexive, and frightfully foreign, leaving him struggling to move the simple muscles back and then forth. Somewhere in his mind the primitive, wordless preference arose; he liked it much better when his eyes were not in pain. That was enough; the spark lit, the infinite domino effect begun, his mind no longer stagnant. Still slow was the beat, but growing ever faster, not yet a rhythm, but not much longer. His eyes burned again. This time, instead of continuing to stare blankly up into the sun, his head rolled to the side. Oh, how nice that was! Everything was dark, soothing, cooling dark. But... There it was, a condition. Pleased with itself that it had learned (or remembered?) a new way to process information, his newborn mind nearly forgot what the objection was to. His eyes were still open.

A needling poked into his eyes; that wasn't fun, and now even opening and closing his eyes (as he had gotten quite proficient at doing in the last few seconds) didn't banish this one. Slowly, patches of his vision repaired themselves. He saw movement. What-- Ah hah! Another one. His view cleared further. Now things really took off. In the space of but a moment, he learned how to see. But what did he see? Color? Oh, but that was fantastic. He was improving in leaps and bounds now, the individual returning memories too numerous to remember as being distinct from the others. I want... to see more. So he looked around. It was flat and wide, and reached off to one side. He realized, that is not me. He looked around some more. That is not me either. Finally, his eyes came to rest on a hand. He almost jumped at the recognition. That is me! ...But it wasn't. It could have been, so just like him it was, and maybe in a way it was him all the same; but somehow, it didn't fit. However, now given a distinct clue about what he was looking for in the search for himself, he pressed on. Finally, his brain realized that there were other senses that it could rely on, and in that second he learned to feel. Now, with this new power at his disposal, he reapplied himself to the task at hand. He concentrated quite diligently on the problem, and by complete accident he learned how to move. An arm fell to one side, every tingle of feeling of any kind rocketing up his shoulder and sending a shiver through his whole body. I can use this! He thought, and up the arm came, until he could see it. THAT is ME! He realized in triumph, the longest and most arduous quest of his life finally completed. The sense of accomplishment, of pride in himself, it was the greatest thing he had ever felt. His fingers danced back and forth, not even tangling with each other, and then he smiled.

A smile; that felt so good.

[Diarmuid]

Another of the men began to see a strange brightness where before there had been only darkness....no, more than that emptiness. A strange sensation of warmth spread across his skin as the sun's rays washed over him.

The rush of sensations caused what had previously been a perfectly rhythmic breathing pattern to catch in his throat. A cough escaped his mouth and he gasped for air, the effort parting his eyelids.

Efforts to regain his breath halted as his eyes were now assaulted by the pure light beaming down from the sun above.

Like the others, his eyes blinked rapidly at this new assault upon his senses. It did not take long for his lungs to remind him that he still required fresh air, and another brief coughing fit overtook him, this time his momentum taking him up into a sitting position.

It was then he noticed the odd position he was in, and the others similarly arrayed. An odd croak escaped his lips as he tried to voice his question. A couple of smaller coughs and a swallow found his voice for him,

"Who? Where?"

Taking a better look at the others, he noticed the similarities between them all. The clothes, the hair, the skin...it seemed strange they would all be so alike. While looking around at the others, he noticed his own clothes.

Why am I dressed like them?

Reaching up to his hair, he yanked a few strands out and brought them in front of his face.

My hair is the same...what's going on here?

A flicker of movement to the side caught his attention, and the swishing of an odd pointed extremity surprised him. Surprise released adrenaline into his system, and his muscles reacted before he could actualy think about what was happening...

A quick sideways roll cleared him of the strange hexagram. Once away from the tangle of bodies, his back and arched and then quickly snapped taught again, lauching him awkwardly forward where he wobbly landed on his feet and quickly fell to a knee.

As his mind caught up with what had just happened, he again considered the source of his concern and he reached behind him, fumbling at the wasitband of his pants,

Ok, I dont have a tail...so we're not some strange clones.

Similar questions to his were voiced by some of the others along with what he assumed were introductions. Not wanting to seem standoffish, he offered his own, and then waited to see if any of the others would have a better idea of what was going on when they awoke.

"Brannon"

[Whiplord]

The woman Ssuri looked around as some of the others awoke themselves, seemingly going through similar reactions and realizations of awareness. Her tail continued twitching behind her, moving intermittently fast and slow, in an almost feline expression of what might have been pleasure.

She giggled at the reaction of the man she had almost hit on accident. Brannon. Was that his name then? She turned to him, the impish grin still pasted onto her features. She shook her head slightly to clear the waves of hair from her eyes. Forgetting any sort of original task she became temporarily obsessed with getting rid of this annoyance. She gathered as much as she could in a fist, pulling it behind her neck, only to be met with failure as it all simply fell right back.

Growling under her breath she released her hair and grasped at the carbon colored and copied tunic she was wearing, and lifted it slightly, tearing off a strip off cloth from the bottom, which she promptly transferred to her mouth, holding it almost daintily in between her lips. Her hands once again returned to her hair, pulling it away from her face. One hand left the sheaf of hair to pluck the improvised ribbon from her mouth, and after a few more minutes of wrestling with the unruly bundle she had it tied away from her face somewhat satisfactorily. Something seemed a bit off about it, but it wasn't worth worrying over.

Observers were almost certain to note the odd positioning of the tail of hair. It wasn't normal to have it on the side... was it?

Her arduous task completed, she looked up and found herself staring at the man Brannon. Ah, right.

Her head tilted slightly to the side, and her tail at showing over her shoulder as it switched at the air, she addressed another person for the first time in..ever?

"I don't suppose you know where we are do you? Or who we are? Or we're here? Or maybe why we're dressed in this unflattering color?"

[The_JJ]

What... how... agh... Pure blue eyes open to the world, darting, taking in information, but failing to process.
What is happening? Why... I can't... must control this. A pulse slowly buids, lungs suck at the air... and then, a maxim, from deep inside the empty darkness behind the eyes. All control begins with the self. The, no, her pulse drops, her, no, my breathing slows to normalcy. Another maxim, if you lose control, find it. I, (Yasmine?) sit up, and look around. These people seem... familiar. I shake my head, lift my eyelids again, but truely open my eyes for the first time. And then... we look... funny! That's the word. I start to laugh, giggle. It comes out as a high, tinkleling noise. Six bewildered twins laying on each other? And the slow, startled reactions! My own ordeal aside, it was... funny, somehow. Whatever that was.

But something was missing... some other itch wanting to be scratched. Ah yes, how to do this? I shift my fingers make them dance, mutter some strange words, hold my hand out like so and, tahdah! Huh, that last phrase seems important... No matter, I've got my toy now. I spin the thin, elegent flute between my fingers, and then raise it to my lips, and begin to play, a tune from nowhere and everywhere. Simple notes, as I wait for the others to finish gathering themselves. I pauses after just a few moments though, and with a flick of the wrist send the flute spinning into my sleeve.

It is a horrible color isn't it. And the hair... I pull a strand out in front of me to confirm it's color. I think it works for you, especially like that. But I don't know... if I like it one me? I'd prefer black? Wait, what do I look like. Well, like them but... how do I know I look good with black hair?

[Whiplord]

Ssuri turns to the other woman, and smiles at the compliment. "Thank you. I think yours looks very pretty as well though." The woman Ssurii absentmindedly scratches at her arm again, only realizing what she's doing when she once more recieves no relief.

"Something should be done about the clothes though... perhaps we could find something nicer somewhere. Maybe. First though, what is your name. I don't think I caught that."

[OverWilliam]

Meanwhile, progress marched on, sometimes at double-time and sometimes obstinately marching backwards, but in motion at any rate.

A foot... It twitched. And another one... The other didn't. Two... feet. He smiled to himself. So far he had discovered two 'arms', one 'chest', two 'legs', as many 'fingers' as he could count on his fingers, and now two feet. Feeling quite pleased with this accomplishment, he set to work figuring out what to do with them. Erm... rrgh... He almost managed into a sitting position. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his leg as he tried to sit on it at a bizarre angle. Oops no, bad... He adjusted slightly, settled down, and finally took another look around him. For the first time gravity was righted enough for his hair to fall into his eyes, but he didn't care. This... place, it was just so, big. So much bigger than himself... He shivered small, looking around too quickly to actually see everything, wishing he could look at it all at once. It was just so much to take in.

After a little while of adjusting himself to what the world looked like, he settled on the other people in the huge open area with him. He looked at Ssuri, though he had no way of knowing that name, and recognized her as owning the not-his hand from before. He wanted to say something to her, to communicate, but he wasn't sure how-- "You're... like me." He told her suddenly, as though concerned that she ought to know, now beginning to pull his knees up and leaning his arms on them, shoulders hunched. He looked at Yasmine, and then Zol, "You're like me too," He said, quite sure of himself, but not really sure what it meant. He pulled his legs up close and hugged them, seeming very small in the middle of the courtyard. "I'm scared." He said, and sounded it. He didn't know why.

[Whiplord]

Ssurii turned slightly and looked down at the speaker. Her tail continuing its slow wave and adding in the occasional loop. She bent down at the waist to look into his face.

"I suppose I am like you..." She looked at the others, either up or getting up.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be scared. Or, well, maybe you should be. After all, we don't know who we are, where we are, or...what we are? And we're wearing this terrible color too."

She took a deep breath and paused for another. "Though, curling up like that is unlikely to accomplish anything." She removed the hand from his shoulder, and instead proffered it in front of him, smiling. "Come on, get up."

[Fishy]

For an unmeasurable aeon, Krane was at peace. She was all knowing, and all powerful. She was at one with the universe, she was the undisputed master of the universe, she -was- the universe. It was perfection.

And then, in the darkness, something moved. And again: a slow, rhythmic thumping, a sensation that flowed all through her perfect being- even without recognizing it, she could sense it was a part of her, and that there was no reason to be alarmed.

And then, more sensations, this time coming from, impossibly, outside the universe. From one place, warmth, in another direction, hardness, from a third, sound. Things that weren't a part of her, which meant that there was something in this universe that was not Krane. This was... tolerable, if she could find out what it was, and control it.

Her eyes opened, and everything shattered.

Not only did the universe contain things that were not-Krane, but there were more of them than of her. The world was bigger than her, by far. She wasn't even at the center of it. And furthermore, as she rolled onto her side, taking what might have been her first breaths, she recognized that five of the not-Krane-things were... 'people'.

This was going to be a problem.

"Who's... Who's in charge here?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol stood. What was he. What had he been before this body? Had he been someone else? Something else? He shrugged. Such things did not matter - at least, not yet. For now, there were more practical concerns.

None of us is 'in charge.' - perhaps someone else is in charge of this... place where we are. But we do not know yet. If none of us possesses a memory of how we came to be here... of what we are... then we must find our own answers.

But... I do not think these... shells, these bodies, are natural - I cannot remember specifics... but to see faces so like mine, so many, and not in a mirror... it is not... 'normal?' yes, that is the word, I think. Something shaped us. Or changes us.

Was it this force I feel inside me? These words beating at the walls of my head, aching to be unleashed? Spells? Magic? Are these the things that changed us? I do not know. We must learn where we are. Who we are. What we are. I do not know why. Only that we must.

[The_JJ]

I'm Yasmine, Ssuri. And uh...in charge... I like the sound of that. Can I be in charge, or are we all in charge? Yasmine frowned at Zol, with her blue-eyed stare. You should try that... magic stuff. It's real fun. Yasmine patted her arm for a moment, trying to find the flute she'd hidden there. Huh. I guess I hid it better than I thought... And then, with a shrug, Yasmne repeated the ritual, and began to play. This time she played a stronger, uplifting tune that rose to a creshendo, inspiring courage in the hearts of these newborn.

[Whiplord]

Ssuri frowned again, her tail dipping confusedly. Magic. Could that be the source of the itch she felt? The man mentioned words.. spells. She felt nothing like that.. Only the itch under her skin, as if something ached to be released. Or, itched rather.

Perhaps though... Ssuri stretched out her hand, fingers splaying against the air, as if pressing against some invisible force. And then she concentrated, picturing the innumerable microbes trapped beneath her skin, teeming in her blood stream, and willed them..out.

Four pinkish orbs of light appeared in the air in front of her outstretched palm, spinning ever more rapidly in a widening circle, vertical to the ground, until they seemed to fly off abruptly and disappear.

The grin had come back and widened across Ssuri's face as the lights appeared.

"Yes... Magic."

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Brannon's mouth quirked into a semi-frown as more of the others awoke just as confused as he and the rest had thus far. As one of the other men curled his legs to his chest, it sparked a kind of desire inside Brannon. The posture reminded him of something. As he thought more about it, he felt as if there was something...amiss within him. He felt...unruly...lacking order.

Delving inside himself, his muscles took control where his mind could not. From his kneeling position, he sat down and crossed his legs. His hands folded in his lap and his eyes closed as he bowed his head. Mental exercises he did not understand flashed through his psyche as his thoughts organised themselves and he reached for his inner peace.

While his mind was re-ordering itself, externally a much different picture was painted. The strange "scratches" on Brannon's skin began to give off a bright orange glow. The scratches' patterns could not be discerned originally, but now that they are standing out stack against his skin it can be seen that they represent some kind of symbols.


Meditating for 5 minutes to ready my maneuvers.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol smiled. His eyes closed, and lightning flashed beneath his lids. It was like... reading. Looking through shelves of knowledge within his own mind - but the books were all locked with keys and chains. here and there, pages drifted through the air, facts without meaning, knowledge without connections - orphan thoughts adrift in a sea of dreams. Among the few things he knew for certain were the powers gifted to - no, taken by him. He knew what each little phrase would do, the effects of each small spell stored in his headspace.

his eyes snapped open, and Zol spoke once more It matters not who says they are in charge, who is in charge - all that matters is results. We must claw from this place the knowledge that we need, and if it be lost, then we must replace it. No more, no less.

[Fishy]

Krane rolls onto her hands and knees, eyes closed as Zol's words wash over her. Magic? Magic was as good a word as any for the feelings of power that were slowly welling up inside her- but it didn't feel anything at all like he described. Words? What are words? All there is is the simple difference between the way the world is, and the way the world should be.

"Yes, that does sound like... 'fun'," she murmurs, peering into Yasmine's eyes, as the colorful freckles high on her cheeks start to shimmer in a complicated way.

Is it alright if Krane flexes her (DC 16) Charm Person muscles in Yasmine's general direction, JJ? Just while she's working out the things she can do?

[OverWilliam]

He stared for a moment at the offered hand, wanting more than anything to take it, and yet not sure he would be able to without making a fool of himself. Finally, an arm came forward (though, weirdly, the left one) and took Ssurii's right hand from the wrong side. The two hands, so perfectly sized, fit perfectly with each other as Ssurii tugged patiently to remind him to get to his feet. He tried to stand, at first without wanting to let go of his knees, but finally realized that would not work. The muscles in his legs and everywhere else moved without his direct intent as he stood next to the tailed woman, looking quite concerned and feeling rather precarious, tipped up on end like this.

When the magics began to swirl, he looked on in total awe. These people around him, the ones he had woken up with, they were incredible. How lucky he was to know of people like these! Did they know of him, he wondered?

[The_JJ]

Yasmine stares back at Krane. I can feel... something. Heh. It... tickles. But I don't think it's really working on me.

[Jansviper]

Da hell!?

The voices reaches your ears moments before the smell does. The bum doesn't reek per se, not of garbage at least. Instead the sharp scent of mint seems to roll from his mouth and ooze from his pores. Indeed, the man's loose jaw reveals teeth stained green with crevices filled with the pulped remains of said plant. A close observer could see a ball of the stuff tucked into his cheek while he talks, spittle flying everywhere.

He stands there at the entry to the courtyard staring for a moment before pointing at the six of you.

Da **** did ja'll come from? I'z been sitting in fron ah dis alley all damn day long and ain't no one came in here. Not no bunch ah twins neither. Da **** is dis! You betta be gettin outta here, night shift be sweepin 'n settin up soon and I be needin some sleep.

He clears his throat and spit a phlegm and mint mass at the wall to his side. It seems... wrong to have marred the pristine cleanliness of the alley, but the bum doesn't notice. He stalks by the six of you and heads for a corner to sit down, mumbling under his breath and chewing on the mint.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine frowns at the bum. Can I? I think I can. Then, with a sickly sweet tone, her hands clasped in front of her in a vaguely pleading manner, and her blue, blue eyes opened in a wide, watery, style she says,I'm sorry sir, but could you do me a favor and take two steps to the right?

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol looked at the bum with a long, hard stare. He seemed to be weighing him... which was true, after a fashion. He was wondering how much meat was in his body, how much blood, how much bone. It'd be easier to measure if he could... unwrap him... An eerie smile flickered across his face like a lizard on a hot rock. Then he pushed those thoughts aside... they seemed... unwise to entertain. Not in a city - too many people around. Besides, who knew what the others would think.

He stretched and yawned like a great cat, revealing even white teeth, perhaps a bit more pointed than usual, and began to walk towards the mouth of the alley, exploring

[Whiplord]

The woman Ssurii peered closely at pungent being. Her tail swooshed behind her, moving sinuously back and forth, the tip showing above her shoulders and beside her hips in an alternating manner.

He seemed a very interesting fellow. But was it normal to be chewing such vast quantities of that odd green plant? Perhaps everyone did it wherever they were. Maybe they would all stand out if they weren't chewing it? Maybe she should ask him for some. The worst possible thing she could imagine was to not fit with the fashions.

And there was also the matter that as soon as the man had entered into their little alleyway, she felt a strong urge, almost.. outside herself to see him in a panic. Almost as if the universal forces of chaos were using her body as a channel, and wished release. And the pent up feeling was getting annoying.

Her mind made up, Ssuri sprang into action.

Outwardly, she began to show all the signs of a worried panic. Her tail stood up straight and taught behind her, all movement suddenly halted. A hand, trembling ever so slightly was slowly lifted to cover her mouth in a gesture that seemed to come naturally to her from.. somewhere. Her other hand stretched out, and pointed, shaking much more than her other one, at the man.

"Th-th-th-that stuff is poisonous!" She finally manages to stutter out. "I've seen the signs. The slight discoloration, the smell that's not quite right. It's even more sticky than normal! It's all there! Surely you've noticed something?" Something that sounds almost like a whimper escapes her throat. "You need to stop chewing that immediately! If you give it to me I can insure it's safely disposed of. Although the thought frightens me, it's what I've been trained to do." A pleading tone enters her voice, as she sinks fully into her act. "Please sir, I couldn't bear to see you die!"

As a grand finale, tears begin rolling down her cheeks as her voice seems to give out.


[roll0]

&%*#&$*~!

[OverWilliam]

A new voice? His mind's jaw dropped. There was someone else here, suddenly, other than the six of them! Was this possible? Apparently so. This threw a whole handful of new fuel onto the fire, and that was exactly what these newest questions burned like. Where had this person come from? He hadn't ever considered the idea that there might be more than the people who had always been. This, in his mind, somehow set this new person apart from them. There had been a time when he hadn't been there, hadn't existed. He wasn't sure why that was important. But now here he was, though how the new man had come to be so was a riddle he didn't know if he would ever solve.

He looked different from them; the face was different, the skin was different, the hair was different, the voice was very, very different. How weird this man was, so different from everyone else; the man must feel lonely being so different, he thought. Is he still like me? He wondered, and looked at the man more closely. He had two hands, two feet, two eyes, just like they did. That didn't help to answer the question, though, as he couldn't get over how unusual he looked, not at all like they did, grey on the chest until the elbows and down the legs, and with honey pale skin everywhere else. He almost felt sorry for this new arrival, not at all like the rest of them and looking much sadder for it.

Finally, he realized that his legs were getting weak, and so he sat down, a little choppily, though he made sure to leave his legs folded across instead of up where he could rest his chin on them-- apparently Ssurii didn't like it when he did that. He shivered a little.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine glared at Ssuri. Mine! But... she is a friend. Ah, very well, so long as she can take turns as well. Disintrested in the man Yasmine gestured at the gob on the ground, with a different range of motions, and it lifted and floated up to her face. Yasmine took a double take. How did I...? Hmm. That wasn't quite like before... more natural. In another move that was just as natural, Yasmine tried to spin the flute with the fingers of her left hand. But it was gone. Her lips pursed. She hadn't done that. She didn't like it when things happened that she hadn't done. But it was small. She could pass it by. I don't seem to have as much reserves left.I can't do this in perpetuity. I'll have to find a more permanent solution. Deprived of normal options for entertainment, Yasmine flicked the gob to the far end of the courtyard, and went to try something else out. She went to one side of the courtyard, sprinted and, halfway across, leap and rotated, planted her hands on the ground, pushed up, spun again, and landed in a roll that she came out of while swinging both hands diagonally upward. Should be holding something in my hands right there.

[Jansviper]

@Zol

As you wander out, you notice a "XI" carved into the right wall right before the alley turns into the street.

The street outside isn't much more impressive. Small, cramped, and flanked on either side by the same tall sunlight stealing buildings. Now, madly criss-crossing wires and lines fill the space above you as well. Clothing hang off some of them, connected to balconies. Others hum or crackle with power, and as you watch an arc of pink eldritch power leaps from one line and into another without much fanfare. Out of the direct sunlight of the courtyard, this new world is full of shadows and dusky light.

A few bums are sitting around, backs pressed against walls with tins or boxes held out negligently. A flash of light catches your eye, revealing a small piece of metal pushed through the index finger of a grimy hand clutching an old mug. A quick glance around notes several people in the dingy street have this same piercing, and all of them seem down on their luck.

Across from you, one man does not. He stands out from the other people in sight simply by merit of size. He's big, bigger around than the other blond man you woke up with, and has ratty brown hair with a long drooping moustache. He's currently wearing a white, food stained shirt and polishing a mug from behind a stall of some kind. Arrayed in front of him on the other side of the counter are a half dozen stools.

He's especially noticeable because beady black eyes have been watching you from under heavy brows since the moment you stepped into sight, whereas everyone else has generally ignored your presence.

A few other doors line the street, but they are all unlabeled and closed.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The man glares, annoyed that you're all still here. Yasmine's words soften his expression a bit (though her requests for him to move get a flat stare), so when Ssurii starts freaking out he just sits there with a surprised look on his face.

Its mint girlie. Been chewin it all mah life, think I'd know betta than some little slip if somma wath off.

With the lot of you still kicking around and generally bugging him he makes shooing motions from his place in the corner.

Now git outta 'ere, 'fore I call the Watch and ya'll get chucked outta Low like da gings ya're. Sumuv us are tryin to catch a bit oh shutty before the Sweepers get 'ere.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol looked back at the man - no emotion in his eyes, save, perhaps curiosity. He wondered idly how much this one would way. It looked as though he had a lot of guts... perhaps he'd... But no - there were even more people here than before, even if the symphony of bonecracks and the sweet scent of sanguine spilling would be balm on his soul... he grinned at the unmarked man, giving him a hearty wink as he moved over, leaning on the counter, simultaneously groping his pockets - it suddenly occured to him that these sorts of places usually wanted for coin - disks of metal, or else some sort of trade - something for something. Yes, that felt right - right for more than just trade. That was how magic worked, wasn't it - yes... costs for costs, something for something.

Is there something on my face, friend? You seem quite interested in it. Or have we met before, perhaps?

[Whiplord]

Sniffling slightly, Ssuri simply shook her head as if deeply saddened by the man's answer, and her tail drooped appreciably. Turning around, she swiped a palm across her face to rid it of the salty tears. A scowl now played across her features, where anguish had been only seconds earlier. That had not worked at all how she had planned. She would have to work on that. The crying seemed to have had the most appreciable effect though. She would have to remember that in particular.

Stepping out of the alley, she notices in relief that no one else seems to be chewing the strange 'mint' stuff. That was good at least. She would have been most irritated if her plan had failed that catastrophically.

Peering down at herself she heaved a sigh, brushed off her clothes, and swore that the first thing she did would be to find some new clothes.

[OverWilliam]

Out of here? He wondered in shock, before suddenly realizing that someone was missing. Zol, where's Zol? He worried, looking around for his brother and not seeing him anywhere. Then another one vanished, and Ssurii was nowhere to be seen. This was troubling in the highest degree, until he leapt from his feet and spun to see her at the mouth of the alley. It had never occurred to him to travel along the length of the world, just to watch from where he was in it. Now the different man seemed to want them to leave, though until a few seconds ago he hadn't even known that was an option. Not really sure why he should stay, but only presented with mildly more reason to go, he wandered forward hesitantly, looking over his shoulder to make sure the others were coming, and then hurried to catch up to Ssuri and Zol.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

The events in the alleyway were registered by his occupied mind, but catalogued as unimportant for the time being. His thoughts ordered themselves and options for channelling the restless energy within himself presented themselves. As he considered them and commited himself to those he thought to be the most useful, he felt a certain calmness wash over his being.

That’s much better. It doesn't answer most of the questions I have, but at least now I will be able to devote my complete attentions to them without these internal distractions.


I have readied Stone Bones, Burning Blade, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, and Charging Minotaur.


As he slowly extracted himself from his meditational position, he stretched out his arms and legs a bit, finally getting to his feet. All the while, his mind replayed for him the conversation with the mint-chewing bum that had happened. As he went through it, he found himself becoming increasingly annoyed with this man. Opening his eyes, he looked around and saw the man sitting in the corner. Unconsciously, his fists began to clench and unclench at his sides while he ground his teeth. A determined set came to his jaw and he stalked over to where the man had taken up his place in the corner.

Standing nose to nose with the man, the carvings on his skin flashed briefly as some of the runes took on an orange.


Initiating Stance of Clarity.


Reaching outn slowly, he wrapped his fists into the front of the man's shirt and jerked him off the ground a foot and a half, pinning him against the wall at his back. Growling his words, he spat them in the bum's face,

"You stink of your vices, and have made my friend cry with your callous dismissal of her concern for your well-being. You would do well to take a care where you aim your insults and disdain…or you will find the consequences far from pleasant"


[roll0] (Figured I'd use Str insteaf of Cha for the Intimidate check, but they're both 18's, heh)


Releasing the shirt bundled in each hand, he let the man drop to the ground. He continued to meet his gaze for a few more moments before turning on his heel and calmly walking to follow those of the group who have exited the alleyway.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine shrugs in sympathy at Ssuri, then follows Zol and company out of the alley. As she walks she natuarlly falls into a swaying stride She smiles at the other bums. More of these people. I need to make them... what? She shakes her head. Later, I can figure something out later. When she turns back to see Brannon delivering his lines she hids a crooked grin behind her hands. Yasmine reached up to toy with her hair again, and watched Zol confront the man behind the counter. I'm... bored. Let's take charge.
So, whats our plan? Ssuri, you want to get some clothes?

[Whiplord]

Ssuri's eyes continue wandering around the alleyway idly, spending very little time actually focusing on anything. When Yasmine speaks, her head turns to meet the other woman's eyes. "You have no idea."

[Jansviper]

The large man frowns for a moment, he's rat eyes sliding off you like oil to check the right, then back, off again to the left, and back to you. He just stares for a moment longer before opening his mouth.

Not looking for any trouble ging, I'm sure you've got your business down in Low and that ain't any of mine. You're just a tad out of place if you know what I mean.

Again, his eyes slide off you to the sides and back. The little beetles seem to widen a bit at the sight of the others emerging from the alley, but focus on you quick enough.

Not looking for any trouble with the Watch either, so you and yours either seek your poison or move along. No room for loungers.

He waves the mug at the space behind him, where a row of bottles and a small skillet can be seen.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The bum's eye widen and he babbles his apologies to Brannon, looking frightened. When you drop him, he curls up on himself further and chews rapidly, eyes darting back and forth.

[Whiplord]

Silently, Ssuri walks over to stand next to Zol, giving the large man an expressionless look before turning to Zol, and beckoning questioningly with her head towards the exit to this alley.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol nodded, giving an 'affable' smile that probably showed just a little too much tooth to be entirely friendly. I'd hate for there to be trouble, too, friend, he lied, Thanks for the information He chuckled softly, slipping away from the bar to rejoin the others. He'd considered asking the big fellow for information, but something warned him that showing any weakness to that one - and ignorance certainly qualified - would be a serious mistake. he might be just a rat - but you never knew when a rat was going to squeal, or to whom.

He gave a little chuckle at that thought, flexing his fingers in front of him as he walked back, speaking to his compatriots in a low undertone. Mmmm... I believe we should find somewhere more... commodious before asking question. I'd wager these streets have too many eyes and ears, and too many hidden knives.

[OverWilliam]

He walked in a daze, looking around him in fuzzy disbelief. All these people... Suddenly, the six of them were outnumbered, and the balance of his grip on reality was very sharply upended. There were so many of them-- all a little grungy, a little rough, seeming a lot like the man before. In a moment he realizes that it wasn't the man who stuck out among them, it was they who stuck out among everyone else; it turned out that the odd-smelling man fit in just perfect, they were the different ones. He felt very small. However, it was still only the six of them that had always been there, since before the rest of these new people had shown up, and he realized with some relief that they still were particular to him apart from everyone else; he took comfort in this feeling.

At Zol's mention of finding somewhere else to be, for the first time he began wondering exactly how big this place really was. How many other people were there in the ever-growing scope of the world? The other question that drifted into focus, having always been present but only just now noticed, was what were they going to do now? He really was glad, he thought to himself, that he knew of smart people like Zol to help him learn what to do.

[Whiplord]

Ssuri turned around to check the progress of the others. As aggravating as it was, it was true that they needed to move. And that one seemed to be having trouble again. Clearly it was all coming to him slower than all of them. Perhaps it would simply take a little while more, or maybe a long while. Perhaps it would never come fully.

Either way, he was a part of this--all of this--whatever this was. And thus, if he needed help, he would get help. Ssuri herself didn't fully understand what was going on. Where they were, what they were doing there, or even who they were. But basic instinct had kicked in at least. There was that.

In two quick, light, almost skipping steps Ssuri was by the side of the man Luk, who's name she still did not know, grasping his hand in hers. "Come on. What did I say about looking like that? Just stick by me for now, and you'll be fine."

[Fishy]

Krane feels something pulling her towards the much-abused bum. Much as she would like to get out of this cramped space, much as she feels the need to stay with the others, she's painfully aware of how little she knows and how much he might be able to tell her...

"You'll have to excuse my siblings, they're... ah. Going through a difficult time right now."Bluff Check: [roll0]

"But before we leave you to it, would you mind telling us..." 'Shutty' made a sort of sense, but 'Watch'? 'Gings'? 'Sweepers'? "Where's the best place to be when the Sweepers show up?"Diplomacy Check: [roll1]. "Tell me what I want to know, and in exchange, we'll leave you alone"?

[Jansviper]

Mmmm... I believe we should find somewhere more... commodious before asking question. I'd wager these streets have too many eyes and ears, and too many hidden knives.

And indeed, the more of you that appear out of the alley the more eyes you can feel on you. The bums are shifting restlessly, drawing in on themselves or getting up to move into deeper shadows. Whatever you represent, the denizens of the street seem to want no part of it.

The fat man nods curtly and returns to shining his glass. By this point, you can hardly tell if the rag is actually helping clean the mug or just spreading the dirt into a finer layer. Still, he keeps a wary eye on all of you, drifiing back further into the shop and sitting down near an out-of-sight shelf.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Acht, firs bitta good cents anya you have shawn. Sweeps be movin downard, an anytin goin up ain't dere prolem. Iz suggest ya'll git your dificut times dealt wit in the higher sectins.

The old bum waves generally to the right and upwards. He's a good deal more agreeable after being shaken up a bit (small wonder, that) but this prolonged exposure to him is making the sweet scent of mint turn sickly. It's starting to feel like a thin layer of slime on your everything, that much of the plant really can't be healthy.

In fact, the man is sweating profusely by this time and it is making the aroma stronger. Seems something about all of your presences doesn't agree with him.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Exiting the alleyway, Brannon is disappointed that a change of scenery has not really improved the situation of the group much, if at all.

More bums, and no obvious signs or labels to help us figure out where we are. Course...that's assuming if there were signs that any of us would be able to read them. Eh, considering we at least seem to share a spoken language and mastery enough to communicate, I'll remain hopefully optimistic at this point.

Striding confidently over to the man "cleaning" a glass, Brannon throws caution to the wind and speaks as plainly as he can with him,

"Sir, I have no idea where I am....who I, or these others, am/are....or even when this is. Could you please alert some form of authority, or at the very least direct us to where we might contact them. We clearly do not belong in this area, and our sudden appearance smacks of some kind of external influence. We merely want to find out what is going on."

The larger man delivers his words flatly, and matter-of-factly. He is not pleading with the other man, just asking for information. While situationally, Brannon is certainly worse off than the bartender...he is definitely not acting as if he has anything to fear from the stranger.

[Fishy]

Krane's sensitive nose twitches, but she refrains from comment, merely nodding her thanks to the drifter and leaving him to sleep. She joins the others at the entrance to the alleyway, keeping her eyes turned upwards, examining the maze of walls and window ledges and arcs of energy. It's intimidating, and unfamiliar, but something stirs within her- I think I can do 'up'.

[OverWilliam]

By the time Ssurii appeared at his side, he was already realizing, in mind-straining awe, that this must be a whole city that they were in the middle of. The chain of understanding branched out in a neverending series of 'if's and 'then's that led from one fact to the illumination of a hundred others. When Ssurii touched his hand he seemed to return from a waking dream and looked at her with complete attention when she spoke. He nodded, the reality of what he was seeing and the realization of this most recent concept--how truly small they really were, then!--sinking in. He took a deep breath. He thought about it, and realized... That was how things were meant to be. This was normal, feeling small; that was exactly how big he should feel, how big everybody must feel, and so in a way... it wasn't that bad at all.

"Just stick by me for now, and you'll be fine."

He nodded; she was right. They would be fine. He noticed something... He trusted her. His hold on her hand tightened just a little, but it was not a confused or discouraged thing... Instead, a reassured choice, maybe the first he had ever truly made, that he would follow her wherever she went.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine screwed her face up. For all of her exuberent confidence, some of this stuff these people were talking about sounded like bad news. C'mon, think, Yasmine. Maybe it'll come to you, like the songs and the tumbling tricks.

[Jansviper]

She joins the others at the entrance to the alleyway, keeping her eyes turned upwards, examining the maze of walls and window ledges and arcs of energy. It's intimidating, and unfamiliar, but something stirs within her- I think I can do 'up'.

As you examine the street, you'd notice that there looks like the beginnings of a ramp at the east end. It curves out of sight, but seems to be heading up.


"Sir, I have no idea where I am....who I, or these others, am/are....or even when this is. Could you please alert some form of authority, or at the very least direct us to where we might contact them. We clearly do not belong in this area, and our sudden appearance smacks of some kind of external influence. We merely want to find out what is going on."

Well now... That's certainly an interesting story you got there...

The man's rat eyes slide over to Zol for a moment, across the rest of your party, up and down the street, and then back to Brannon.

I think I can help you with that, let me go call the Watch right now.

He raises a finger in what you all would recognize as a sign meaning one moment and reaches up above the counter top. He takes hold of a sheet or corrugated metal and pulls it down, closing off the shop from the street.

The Alley is dead silent.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine chews her lip. This was spiraling fast. Where was that man going> What was he doing? Everyone else was... afraid. Afraid of them, or afraid to be associated? To many questions, too many uncontrolled variables. Ssuri? Zol? Her normally cheery, peppy voice has begun to quaver. I think we ought to leave. Now.

No, eff that.

Yasmine leaded in next to Zol's ear and whispered her warning, and then out loud.

C'mon Brannon, let's not bother the nice man. She says in the tones one might use for a... delicate mind. It's okay, but we really need to be going home now. No more games. I'll make sure you get some nice pies along with your dinner.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol grit his teeth in frustration. Something in the back of his mind screamed a warning as soon as the word 'watch' was uttered. There were sensations of entrapment. Cages, bars, locks, keys. Questions in rooms with no windows. Spilled blood - a thought that, for once, did not send a pleasurable little thrill up Zol's ink-bedecked spine.

This was not the place to show such weakness. Too many predators, and too many scavengers looking for a tasty corpse... and ones such as we look positively delectable in such eyes.

Zol looked around for the likliest-seeming direction, and then simply picked one. Let us get lost. And quickly

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

The large man looked curiously at both Yasmine and Zol, not exactly sure why they would contradict him so. He allowed himself to be led away from the man's shop, as that one obviously didnt want to assist them.

"Weakness? I dont believe I showed any weakness. I stated the obvious facts as I see them and asked for assistance. I think that fat man showed the weakness by removing himself from my presence."

Brannon almost seems proud that the barman had all but fled from his presence. Looking around, he notes the path leading up out of this strange place.

"If we are going to go anywhere, I would say we start with up. Those who we have talked to thus far have mentioned sweepers, and referenced "down here" as if we do not belong...and by our appearance I would tend to agree. Perhaps we can find someone who would be a bit more amenable to our situation further up."

As they get further away from the small bar, Brannon occasionally checks behind the group to see if the man has come out from behind his metal wall. As they walk away, he cant help but feel that his stride is somehow...off. He feels perfectly in-tune with himself, yet he senses that he is overbalanced a bit to his right....almost as if he would normally be compensating for something that would weigh him down on his left side.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol ground his teeth in frustration, wincing in pain at his 'brother's' denseness. His next words came out in a low hiss, intended for only their small group

... If you keep thinking like that, we're all going to end up losing our memories permanently, along with all the blood in our bodies! The man's a rat, and he may well be afraid of you - or us - but rats are scavengers, and if they see weakness, there's not telling what he may do - including getting more of his kind to drag us down with numbers, or summoning someone stronger...

And as for weakness.. of course you showed it! Knowledge is strength. Ignorance is weakness, in our state, we don't know where safety and danger are! We have no idea who holds power here, and for all our purposes we are alone and friendless in a strange and alien place! The only way we could be more obvious targets is if we were bound and naked!

He calmed himself, albeit slowly.

Let's just get away from here. We need a bolt-hole, for now... and a way to gain more knowledge. More power. More strength.

[Jansviper]

There's a shifting sound as two bums on the west end of the street stand. A crude knife glints in one's hand, and the other looks to be carrying a glass bottle. They don't rush up the street, but casually wander forward.

As if two armed homeless men walking down the street was an every day occurrence (though for all you know, it might be).

The four between you and the ramp on the east end of the street don't move to stand, but they are watching you.

The street remains largely silent and your words echo up between the buildings. Occasionally arcane power crackles above you, and you can here the two moving men's shuffling footfalls.

[Fishy]

Krane glares at Brannon: her eyes narrow- and widen, with thick bands of black stretching from the corners of her eyes almost as far as her thick, blonde hair. Now you've gone and done it.

Angrily, she shoulders her way to the front of the group, but by the time she gets there, she's all smiles, her gaze fixed on the man with the knife.

"Acht, evenin' boys- iz summa off? We jus' be gettin' outta here..."

Charm Person the one with the knife, and hope like hell it takes this time and we don't have to go to Plan B. Hey, it's worth a shot.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Upon seeing the two men stand up and noting their purposeful advance with their improvised weapons, something awakens within Brannon. His eyes widen, and then narrow. He moves to a position where the men will have to encounter him before they would be able to threaten any of his...siblings?...he turns over his shoulder and says to the others,

"Fine, if this is my mess...I will clean it up. You all go on up ahead, to the next level up. I will catch up with you in a few moments."

Focusing his attention back on the two men, Brannon instinctively settles into a simple defensive posture. Noting the knife in one man's hand, Brannon shifts his focus to the man, scrutinizing his movements and anticipating his actions.

As he does so, a few of the carvings on his skin flare briefly with an orangle glow.


Assigning KnifeGuy my bonus from Stance of Clarity. +2 AC vs him, -2 AC vs everyone else.

[Whiplord]

Ssuri grabs Brannon's shoulder. "Don't be a bigger idiot than you already have been. We're not just leaving you here."

Turning to the man with the knife, she raises her voice so he can hear her clearly. "Hey, I'd watch that partner of yours. He's been eyeing your back this entire time and laughing under his breath. What convinced you to work with someone like that anyways? Your clearly better than him, but he keeps looking down on you! What's up with that? Fact is, none of these guys here," she gestures to encompass the majority of the the thugs, "seem to respect you very much. I've seen 'em all lookin at you funny."


Try to make him angry with his friend, and the other ones. Hopefully causing them to turn on each other.

[roll0]

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Shruggin away from the tailed-one's grasp, Brandond says calmly,

"Who is more the fool, the idiot, or the one who follows him?"

His thoughts are troubled as he considers the situation at hand,

These people may look like me, but they are definitely not like me in most other ways. Duplicitous...False...Reliant on strange tricks as opposed to themselves. They preach avoiding weakness, but wish to do nothing but flee in the face of the smallest adversity. They would blindly wander hoping for answers rather than simply asking for them. I will not let them mold me into something I am not

[Jansviper]

Strange tricks or not, Brannon would be surprised by how effective his comrade were. Either one of the subtle mind twists would have been enough to turn the knife-weilding bum, both of them together...

Aye, sumtin's off alright...

The bottle wielding bum chuckles darkly and licks his lips, the lewd suggestion clear in his voice. At least, it is until the other bum shrieks in fury and slams his knife into the first's throat. Then there is simply incoherent gurglings and hacking noises.

Never talk about my friends like that you dirty ****ing *****! I'll flay the skin from your ****ing bones!

The two bums fall to the ground. The one with the bottle drops it to the street and grasps, fruitlessly, at the others hands and face to try and stop the vicious attack. The knife man stabs the other bum in response, and stabs, and stabs, and stabs, and stabs (etc).

Its really quite bloody.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The other four bums that sat between you and the ramp up begin to stand as the talking begins, but freeze in abject horror as one of their own goes wild and murders the living daylights out of another. You can see clubs in at least two hands.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine pats Brannon's shoulder. You win some, you lose some. It's always better to be in control of the situation at hand. By fighting them, we let them take the initiative, force the encounter. By backing off, we regain the control. Now, we can reengage on our terms, be it with trickery or, better yet, some... slashing things. Or more magic. I'm almost out of magic, see? And I've got no flute now. See? There's another problem, but it isn't ours. She puts on her game face, in this case, shocked horror and wide, eyes. (Yasmine has yet to discover her strange... affliction?) You've got to stop him! If you don't right now, all four of you, he'll probably pick you off one by one.

And in her mind, a thought sprang up. Dance monkeys, dance!


[roll0]

[OverWilliam]

He frowned. A dull, unpolished glint took to his eyes, like the memory of a much sharper gaze that he might have once given when the heat of combat arose. The two disshelved men with weapons of varying imprompituity walked toward the group, and the threat was clear even to him who had never before thought of the existence of such. As though stirring some instinct deep in him, some of his life-inexperienced innocence faded at the intentful smile on Bottle's face. But then something happened; they turned on each other, and obviously that hadn't been their original intent. Like a bubble popping, the shadow of lethal focus and dangerous demeanor that almost settled on him the moment before vanished, and he blinked a few times as though waking. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he realized that even in the middle of Ssurii's careful words he had been inching forward, subtly positioning himself inbetween her and the men.

But the most shocking thing was how little shock came from seeing the one bum's throat split down the middle and then having the knife driven into his chest and arms repeatedly. He wondered why seeing this didn't affect him as deeply as he would've thought it would. He decided that it was a bad thing, and that he didn't enjoy seeing it, but somehow it was worse than it felt.

Finally, the four new combatants sloppily concealed their own weapons and moved as though to enter the not-quite-fight. Though the steely cool didn't return, neither did he panic as he looked to the others for ques and tried to wonder what they should do next...

[Whiplord]

Glaring slightly in Brannon's direction, Ssuri answers Luk's unspoken question. "Now we get out of here. In a hurry."

[OverWilliam]

"Where do we go?" His voice was low, not a whisper, but only enough for the six of them to hear.

[Whiplord]

Ssurii shakes her head in frustration. "Damned if I know. The only way that's totally unblocked is straight up. And I don't know about you, but I can't fly. At least, not that I know of....

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol was just preparing to cast a spell, after a moment of hesitation - he would rather have taken a knife to these foul-smelling gutterbums, but he lacked one at the moment, a situation that he would have to remedy before too long. But then - the most wondrous thing occured - the shriek of fury, the gargle of blood filling longs, the sweet, coppery tang of falling crimson. He turned to the other four alley-rats, his eyes gleaming with unholy fervor. His bloodlust was up, and he licked his lips in a hungry manner. Staring at them, he began to move his arms and chant in a slow, subtle pattern.

Now... as much as I'd like to stay and chat with you boyos.... it's time for you to forget we were here. Sleep

Casting Sleep, of course.

[Fishy]

Krane gives Ssuril a death glare as she starts rambling, and apparently not going to the effort to make any of her lies sound even vaguely believable- then recoils in shock from the brutal murder taking place in front of her.

She is not in control of this situation. It's beginning to look like no one is.

"Straight up, then," she murmurs, and moves to stand by the wall. She lowers her weight, flexes her legs, perched on her toes: running on pure instinct, mentally preparing herself for... something-

And her body shifts in an impossible way- the heels of her feet stretch out to somewhere behind her knees. Thick, coarse hair sprouts all over her body, the same color as her rapidly disappearing gown. Muscles uncoil, she jumps, and the lean, catlike creature sinks its claws into the brick.

ie, Shapeshift, Climb check. [roll0]

[The_JJ]

Holy... uh. Such sublety. Yasmine sighs, shares a put upon glance with her partners in crime, looks up again, and calls out. Uh... Krane!? Uh... WE CAN'T DO THAT. Just so you know. She adds, almost to herself.
Yasmine twiddles her fingers, again as if spinning something not there. She looks at the four men. It's been a weird day for all of us. How about we all go our seperate ways before it gets any weirder, eh?

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Whiplord]

As the bloody scene unfolds before her, far from being horrified, she can't help but feel...satisfied. As if a warm glow was now suffusing her entire body with joy and satisfaction. It wasn't the blood or the violence directly... Or, she didn't think it was. It was more the way everything came together. The blood and the violence yes, but other things too. The screaming, the panic, the uproar... The human suffering at the hands of something they couldn't control.

A pleased smile curved over her features. She would have to do this more often.

However, there were clearly more important things at hand. Zol seemed to be attempting to take care of the other thugs. They might have been abl to actually get past that way, but Krane seemed to have... Well, Krane seemed to have turned into some kind of crazy cat creature and scaled the side of a building.

That was annoying. Now how were they supposed to follow her? Ssurii scowled after the woman/cat creature/crazed abomination, and her tail made loud whipping noises as it swished back and forth in extreme annoyance.

"Well that's just great. Let me just turn into a bird and follow you. Oh wait, I can't do that!"

With a disgusted sigh she looks back at her other--still human, chaos be thanked!--comrades and addressed them. "Well?"

[OverWilliam]

He looked very sad at Yasmine's words. "But... We have to stay together. We're different. We're the only ones... like us." Of course there was no way he could know that for sure-- there could be dozens of perfectly built, good-looking, golden blonde people running around in shades of grey and getting into fights with homeless people, but somehow his deduction still seemed right. He looked at Ssurii, now his turn to answer a question. "...Well..." He walked over to the wall that Krane had just scaled. "...Up it is." He turned to offer a hand to Ssurii or Yasmine, or Zol as well if he wished, waiting to give them a boost up the wall for them to continue after Krane. Glancing at Brannon he asks quietly, "Will you be able to make it yourself? I'm not sure I'd be of much help..."

Brannon has ranks in climb, so he'll probably be fine, everybody else has a bare minimum of +4 from ability mods and I'll roll to Aid Another for anyone who wills.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine looks at the climb. Then at the ramp. Err... ramp? Hello? I'd just rather not be forced to take the harder way out, even if it is now the easy way out. I choose my own path, damn it, whatever those bums at the top want to do about it.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Satisfied with the outcome if not the means, Brannon turns his back on the grisly scene. He is once again surprised at the strange words and motions made by one of the others...but not nearly as surprised as when Krane turned into.....something.

At discussions of climbing the wall began, he looked to the four shocked men standing between them and the much simpler ramp, trying to gauge if they still had any fight left in them, or if their small group would be able to pass without further incident.

[roll0]

[Jansviper]

What the **** man!

One of the bums shouts at Knifey, who jerks up from the corpse of his stoop-mate to glare at the other four. They all draw their clubs and charge down the alley, swinging wildly at anything in their way.

Until a sleep spell puts them under like it was going out of style. Knifey continues towards them, passes all of you and begins stabbing the first one that he gets near.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Krane easily grabs hold of the wall and is able to head up it with some exertion. Its about eleven stories worth of brick, mortar, 'power' lines, and the occasional (closed) window.

If you continue up the wall, make four climb checks. If you fail a DC20 make a DC15 reflex save to catch yourself or else you fall.

[Fishy]

Krane turns her head, feline features twisted into a contemptuous sneer. It's not her fault you suck. Focusing on the task at hand- which seems to take all of her strength and concentration, even in her enhanced body- she starts making her way across the wall to the nearest window.

Setting myself up for spectacular failure:
Climb 1: [roll0]
Climb 2: [roll1]
Climb 3: [roll2]
Climb 4: [roll3]

Reflex 1: [roll4]
Reflex 2: [roll5]
Reflex 3: [roll6]
Reflex 4: [roll7]

Tumble: [roll8]

It would be really nice if the window had an empty room behind it. And bedsheets. Or, a convenient emergency rope-ladder.

EDIT: Yeah. Barely a few feet after her sneer, a brick gives way under her paws, and she plummets, flailing and scraping at the wall- and twists her body at the last second, landing mostly on her feet. She shifts, fur melting away as she returns to normal form. "Ow. I mean- I came back for you guys."

[The_JJ]

Yasmine, who had seen the sneer, smiles at the karmic justice, but offerers a hand up. Yeah, uh, I'm a better liar than you. Come on, before these fellows wake up, although... Yasmine walks over and hefts a dropped club. This is better.

Then she looks up. Alright, it's a long way, even with the ramp. Left foot right foot people, let's clear out.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol laughed with an almost childish, unholy glee as the maddened bum tore into his comrades, enjoying the bright flow of blood onto the street. His smile was manic as he watched his 'comrade' plummet, and he likewise enjoyed the irony as he began to move in the chosen direction.

Now, now... no need for anger among us. I'm sure there'll be enough as want to spill our blood without us doing it to each other.

[Whiplord]

Ssuri raises an eyebrow at the fallen Krane, shakes her head in disgust, and turns away. "Right. Well, we should be able to just move past the Bum Defense Force. Let's take the ramp."

With that, she takes her own advice and heads in that direction.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

"I dont know if that was necessary. They were likely to have let us pass without any further incident."

Moving past the sleeping group, careful to stay away from Knifey up the ramp.

[Jansviper]

As you move onto the ramp and begin upwards, it quickly becomes apparent that the city you are in is rather unconventional. The sloped walkway itself is seamless stone: Unlike the rough cobblestones of the alley you woke up in, what you walk on now could have been melted out of solid rock. Indeed, in some places the strange reddish mineral looks to have had a running, liquid quality before hardening into its current shape. This path of odd material ascends in drunken half circles and sinuous lines, almost doubling back on itself before wandering off in a new direction, to the point that you are sure you must have circled around to the other side of several buildings at any one time.

Speaking of buildings, they remain tall and uniform for the most part. Still reaching high above street level and casting perpetual shadows across your world. If anything, the humming wires and lines of clothing grow more numerous as you climb. Every twenty feet or so along the ramp a street similar to the one you had just left shoots off into the city, and as you go higher more and more people and shops are crowded into these minature market places. None of them look at small (or as dirty) as the one you started in, and the people are clearly a step up from the homeless bums you had left behind. House wives bustle from place to place, chatting with neighbors, haggling with vendors, or herding the occasional pack of small children. Men (a clear minority) walk around doing chores or lounge in the stools of one of the many bar stalls like the one where you had met the rat-like man. The children themselves, whether they be dirty urchins or well dressed brats, tend to travel in groups playing children's games while laughing, shouting and chanting some sort of nameless tune. The adults too seem to have picked up the song (or remember it from their own childhoods) and the steady hum of the beat always seems to be in the backround of countless throats.

After the first level, you are rarely alone on the ramp. People bustle forth from one street to another with nary a glance at the six clueless siblings in their midst. You don't stand out nearly as much as some of you thought you might. Your cloths, while drab, aren't too terribly different from the linen pants and tunics that look to be favored by the rest of the population. Splashes of color here and there indicate a better cut or an attempt to brighten one's surroundings. Once, about two minutes into your ascent, a group of men dressed in blue coveralls troops past you. They are carrying maintainance and cleaning equipment and looked terribly bored with whatever their work may be. They pass you without comment, heading down to the level you had just left.

So far, the city itself has been terribly confusing to your senses. By this point, you have no idea which way is which and have absolutely no way to orient yourself on... anything really. The ramp switches and winds so madly that you would be lost for sure if it lead in any direction but up. The information that bombards you doesn't help in the slightest as your mind provides input on what your eyes and ears observe. Words like male, female, children, shop, work, family and friends gain more definition as you acquire more examples of them. You find yourself wonder what that could be before simply knowing what a cart was and how they were used. The rush of knowledge is heady, but not terribly distracting. It seems more like information you always knew, but hadn't for a while, instead of something newly learned. The feelings themselves don't stop you though...

Up you go, pulled on by a strange sense of urgency. You bypass the people and the sights, catching brief glimpses into the daily lives of city folk as you walk by at a steady pace. It is by no means strenuous or physically compelling, but as you move you are overcome by an incredible sense of purpose, as if all your questions will be answered if only you can reach the top of this winding path. Finally, after what feels like eons (but couldn't have been more than an hour, as you now understand the reckoning of the passage of time), you can see sunlight ahead. The ramp upwards levels out with two terribly tall buildings on either side and exits from between.

Unfortunately, you will only find more questions at the top.

[Whiplord]

Ssuri stares around wildly, her tail waving slowly back and forth behind her. She had been hoping--just a little--that maybe some of the questions would be answered when they made it out of the alleyways, but she was more confused if anything.

And to her dismay, it seemed like most of the people around were wearing the same boring clothes. Oh, there was a splash of color here, a slightly modified cut there, but it was all still so incredibly boring. She hoped she could find something pretty...

Although better to figure out more of the situation first. Keep on climbing.

[Jansviper]

The city that streches before you is immense. A titanic metropolis that spans as far as the eye can see from your vantage point atop a small hill (also filled to capacity with building you find, with a glance behind you) that overlooks the rest of the city. Buildings far taller than the ones you have just emerged from pack the landscape, hundreds of feet tall and crowded together as if space was at a premium and all that was left to do was build upwards. But at the same time, you can see at least one neighborhood of small single story businesses doing a brisk noontime rush in the shadow of one of the larger sky scrapers.

It is all quite strange.

However, the more things change the more they stay the same. Hundreds of wires still criss-cross the gaps between buildings. Their ever-present crackle of energy fills the air with an almost subconcious hum. The people are still the same, varied and colorful going about their daily lives. New things include webs of bridges and walkways mixed in with the wires, connecting the monolyths for the brave as well. The people in the street directly in front of you seem to be more going somewhere than moving about their daily lives in a relatively familiar atmosphere. They crowd the streets and pay little attention to anyone else, lest they need to offer a curse or a threat. There is definately more color in this crowd as well, though mostly earth tones or the occasional vivid red.

The sun burns in the distance, slowly sinking towards the horizon as time marches on. The orange glow of that great star competes with the hundreds of thousands of artificial and magical lights that burn in the city. You get the impression that this sight would be even more impressive at night...

All the information making itself available to your brains rapidly overloads normal motor control. You stop for a moment simply to take in the sights while your mind fills in the gaps. It is a rapid fire process that involves very little comprehending and more knowing instantaneously. The rush stretches a moment into an hour, and hours into days, before snapping back elastically as you hit upon a name.

Zaratel.

The massive flow of knowledge did not in fact take more than a few seconds, but the comprehension of the city before you stops dead in the forefront of your minds and forces you to comprehend what you are experiencing.

Zaratel.

The largest city in the world, the capital of the United Territories of the Synfuels Expedition, an industrial center nigh unmatched outside of Mechanus itself. Oddly enough, no information is forthcoming on the ideas of Synfuels or Mechanus (United, Territories and Expedition you understand well enough) except that those statements mean something. You can hear the capitals in your mind, and the words themselves carry a certain weight.

Or could that be gravity?

All in all, with the truly gargantuan amount of data assaulting your senses at the moment you can be forgiven for not noticing the sign sooner. It is rather small and a bit on the ratty side, but sitting in plain sight across the street is a piece of parchment with your face and those of the five people you woke up with on it, right below a single large print word.

MISSING

There seems to more information in smaller print, but the mass of bodies traveling the street in front of you make it impossible to read from this distance. You'll have to get closer.

Spot checks and perception checks please

[OverWilliam]

As they walked, something changed in his mind. Instead of simply existing, waiting for new revelations to come to him, he found that he was eager to learn, hungry to find more. He began actively searching for new ways to tap into this mysterious knowledge that he seemed to be gifted with every time he saw something new to jolt the memory, and as they walked he only barely outweighed the urge to stop and keep watching, to keep learning everything with the anticipation of what he would find at the crest of the next hill. He was growing more autonomous, his mind even now still growing in strength from that first catalyst, but even still not to the level that he somehow knew that he could attain (perhaps the memory of being there before?). He was thinking faster, understanding more, regaining so many little pieces of himself that he never wanted to stop.

They reached the top of the little (in comparison to the rest of the city) hill, and he turned around... And was assaulted with awe the second he did. He had imagined that the city would be big, but not this big. Then he realized that even that was just a part of the city whole. He spent a few seconds completely adrift in the sea of hugeness that they were all set afloat in before other, more subtle triggers prompted the almost wave-like dream of revelation; his eyes danced against his eyelids, drinking up every image and every sound, every concept and every shred of knowledge that now loosed into his mind as though a floodgate had burst.

Zaratel.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine's mind boiled over in a mass of anxious dribbles and incoherent swearing. Too much, too fast. I can't... it's so... sh*tsh*tsh*tsh*tsh*tsh*t... It was, happening, all of it, indepenent of herself, beyond her control. Her presense was irrelivent. It wouldn't matter if she dissappeared. Nevertheless, some small part of her... reveled in it. The people, the packed masses. The hustle and bustle. She wanted to be out there and soak it in, join the crowd and feel it's emotions, play her songs and let the exultations of the masses was over her.

And quietly, in the back end of her mind, some bit that twined the two together tasted the wind, sniffed the air. It smelled potential. It smelled...

Zaratel

[Whiplord]

Sunlight. The sky. Fresh air. A brain shattering surge of information. Great. just what she needed.

As the knowledge surges into her brain, Ssurii quite literally freezes in place. All movement stops as she stands in one place, not a single thing (even her tail) twitching. Her eyes roll back in her head, and even after the shockwave of information has passed, she stays like that for almost full minute.

Her eyes slowly roll back to their normal condition. Blink. Blink.

Zaratel....

Ssuri collapsed to the ground in a heap.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

His nerves stayed on-edge for most of the walk up, continually looking over the group's shoulders. What was he even looking for...Knifey, anyone taking special notice of their passing?

Thus was it that he failed to notice the information that flitted around in his head at first. Eventually the inlux of data became to much to be ignored and demanded his attention.

The buildings...the power lines...the people....what does it all mean? Synfuels Expedition...Mechanus.........Zaratel?

He is stopped dead in his tracks as the line of reasoning asserts itself within him. He is jolted back to reality as a flash of color on a passerby catches his attention. Trying to focus on it, he instead sees something behind it...a sign with pictures...picture of them.

Focus established, he single-mindedly begins walking towards the sign, heedless of other passersby or other obstacles.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

The beast roared, caged in a prison of thought and word and memory. Zol growled, panting hard as sweat dripped down his brow, his immaculate, adonisian face creased in lines of thought as his brain tried to keep from drowning under the assault of knowledge. He growled deep in his chest, clutching at his head with both hands, rubbing his temples furiously to stimulate the flow of thought. After what might have been only an eternity, he started to breathe more normally as his senses started to return, and Zol found himself able to breathe again.

[OverWilliam]

He made a startled noise when Ssurii collapsed under the weight of this new explosion of knowledge. It was a guttural sound born of wanting to exclaim her name and frustration at realizing that he did not know it. He dove for her as quickly as he could, wanting to catch her before she hit the ground, but not quite fast enough. "What happened?" He asked urgently, only realizing after he said it that no one who could hear him actually knew. He rolled her over gently, untangling her arms from each other and rubbing her shoulder to wake her up. "Are you ok?" He asks when she comes to.

[Fishy]

The simple walk through the city is a powerfully humbling experience for Krane. So many people, leading lives that she will never be a part of and keeping secrets that she will never understand- simply by numbers alone. In the grand, cosmic scheme of things, she simply doesn't matter. She will never amount to anything, it's not even worth...

Aaarghn... ow-ow-ow... Zaratel?

The sudden rush of fragmented memory snaps Krane out of her black mood. It's barely a few words, like table scraps tossed to a stray cat, but something inside her devours it, hungry for more. Somehow, even if nothing else makes sense, knowing is better than not knowing, and that's enough to keep her going.

And that's when she sees the sign. Krane fixes her eyes on it, striding through the crowd, completely ignoring Ssurii's pain.

[Jansviper]

Its like you're in a different world.

The streets of Zaratel are packed with people, and none of them care about your problems. Below, a few simple words turned men into beasts. Up here, no one even looks twice as two of you fall to the ground.

Pushing through the crowded street isn't a problem, and within moment you're in front of the sign. There isn't much to it, but its far more than you had before. The paper looks old, but the pictures could have been taken just moment before. Its you, down to the almost identical features and small quirks that can be seen from the shoulders up.

MISSING

The heirs to the Calhan family (pictured above) have been missing since the third week of June when their ancestral manor burnt down on the outskirts of the city. The bodies of the Lord and Lady Calhan, as well as several servants, were found in the wreckage but no evidence of the heirs have been discovered at this time.

If you have any information concerning the Heirs of Calhan or the circumstances which led to this tragedy, please contact Captain Micahl with City Watch Investigations.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine stares at the sign for a few seconds. Then she speaks, voice laced with doubt. Yeeeeeaaaaaah. A phrase springs to mind. "Mysterious circumstances." Her gaze wanders over the sign again. It is not a happy phrase. Every fiber of my being is saying, 'that is not a happy phrase.'

[Whiplord]

A few seconds later, a tail twitches. To be specific, Ssurii's tail twitches. Although it's unlikely there were many other twitching tails in the area. Ssurii springs up, quite unlike the slow awakening she had had only earlier today. Truth be told, it was rather unladylike.

But spring up she did, and made her way over to stand near the others, looking over the sign. Survey says: That's creepy.

Thoroughly weirded out, Ssurii reacts in the only way she knows. She nudges Yasmine. "Psst, Yas. That girl looks just like you! What a coincedence, right?"

If there the previous gesture might have been unladylike, there was no question when she rudely stuck out her tongue in jest.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol's hackles were up. The strange sensation, the shift in circumstances... the beast, trammelled for the moment but still hungry, whispered now... like an imp on his shoulder, or a cat in dark and haunted jungles, spoke in soft, purring tones of the joys of spilled blood and the sensous pleasure of rent flesh - Mmm, but to show these arrogant fops the price of their unwariness, of the dangers of nod heeding him.

The beast was caged, however, and its desires held at bay - another force. A watchman, key-holder to the beast's pen. Thought it beat upon the bars of iron will, the bars held. For the moment.

He stopped, however, when he saw the pictures, his rational mind, the cooler, detached part of him - Moreso even than the watchman- the voice of the scholar, the learned, intelligent spellcaster - the librarian, as it were. It directed him to the pictures, and for once, all three of them were in agreement.

Mmmm.. how... convenient... so.. perhaps we are these... heirs... and perhaps not. It sounds too neat. Too nice. Too tempting. A trap set to catch the unwary. But then, it seems so obvious. Too obvious to be a trap? Or a trap within a trap?

[Fishy]

Krane looks out into the crowd as something catches her eye- something bad. Fighting the urge to investigate further, she turns slightly, keeping up her stride, as if she had somewhere important to go and her path just coincidentally brought her past the poster. As she passes her sisters, she grits her teeth, and her voice is somewhere between a mumble and a growl. "Don't stand next to the sign." Her eyespots flicker, as she subconsciously tries- and fails- to look completely unlike the suspected arsonist on the poster. "Unless you're tearing it down. Someone's watching." And then she's past them, working her way into the crowd on the off chance that she'll catch another glimpse.

Because sometimes lightning strikes twice, Spot: [roll0]

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Krane voiced Brannon's thoughts almost perfectly. Their group, standing next to a sign with pictures of them was certainly going to make the dots easy to connect for some interested passerby.

Reaching up to the sign, Brannon fought the urge to tear it from it's mounting place, worried such an impulsive action would bring yet more unwanted attention. Instead, he squirmed his fingers underneath the material and slid them to the corners to ease the separation process. Hands at opposite corners, he eased the two corners from the attachments (be it adhesive, or more literal like a nail/staple), tearing the sign slightly if necessary. Two corners free, he slid his hands to the remaining attached corners and similarly freed them from their attachment.

Rolling the sign up and sticking it under his arm, he addressed the rest of the group,

"While this does indeed seem too convenient, we really do not have much else to go on. If we keep asking locals, eventually someone is going to recognize us from this sign, or a copy that likely hangs elsewhere. That will bring the authorities. We essentially have two choices: Go to the authorites, or go to these people who claim we are their missing heirs."

He begins to move off in the direction that Krane headed,

"Either way, we should not tarry here further."

As he walks away, a shiver comes over his shoulders and he turns over his shoulder to look at the ramp the group had recently finished climbing.

[roll0]

[The_JJ]

Yasmine bumps Ssuri back. ANd that one looks like you, but prettier. She grins a crooked grin. I agree with Brannon that it should be removed, if only for the sake of your ego. Yasmine starts trying to twirl the looted club through her fingers, stops when it doesn't work, and settles for beating out a nervous rhythm on the cobblestones. Now, planning is a good thing. Puts you in the saddle, gives you the reins. It's... control. I don't like the sign because it hints to me that whatever happened, it's a bad thing. The people who put it up? Maybe good, maybe bad. But I need to sleep, eat, find a flute, dye my hair black and cut it short, and Ssuri wants a new dress. Hm... now there's an idea. Disguises. Anyway, we won't be gettng that if we just wander around this town lost. Yasmine pauses, nods once in satisfaction at her speech, and then goes back to drumming.

[OverWilliam]

Ssurii jumped up, and for a moment he was left behind, but he stood simply and looked around. He noticed the sign, feeling a momentary swell of hope that someone in this place knew who they were. However, Zol's cryptic, muttered words gave him pause for thought-- what if there were people in this place that they did not want to be known by? He didn't know. He reproved himself mentally. He was... naive. It certainly was a good thing that there were others who had re-adapted more quickly than he-- until he learned these things for himself, he could be in danger.

Then it was that he began to think of danger. His eyes combed through the crowd, and slowly it dawned on him that they must stand out-- their matching crowns of golden blonde were sure to be noticable in a crowd, maybe not one or two at a time, but six all together...?

Finally, he thought of defense. "We need to get off the streets. Fast." He began looking around for an inn, or a tavern, or a large shop, preferably of clothing, anywhere that they could disappear into and collect their thoughts for a couple hours...

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Following Krane, the largest of the group asks to no one in particular,

"Does it bother anyone else that we have climbed eleven stories, and that the buildings flanking us now are exactly eleven stories tall? I'm not exactly sure why it bothers me, but I certainly feel bothered."

[Fishy]

Krane eases up her stride, until she and Brannon are walking next to each other. She grins, darkly amused- and a little impressed. "Noticed that, did you?" Her voice drops quiet again- the people who walk these streets every day presumably don't think there's anything special about them. "That ramp we walked up: it doesn't work. We should have crossed over ourselves- through ourselves, half a dozen times. We didn't walk up from below, we walked in. From somewhere else."

"And by that logic, the 'outskirts of the city' could be anywhere."

[Jansviper]

It is surprisingly easy to find your way to the nearest commerce center. The first person you approach on the street (a young man in his early teens wearing white) is surprisingly helpful. When asked for directions he blinks for a moment, then gestures you over to a lightpost in the center of the road. Built into the center of the post are several hand sized sheets of crystal, one of which the boy presses his hand to.

"I'm surprised, though not really, that they sent you guys on your way without showing you how to work the maps. You're all gings right? I could tell right away, though not really, that you were looking a bit lost. Still, surprising. Usually its the very first thing they show you. City's pretty easy to find your way around, though not really, if you're using the maps."

Speak quirks aside, the boy seems to like to chatter. He is ridiculously energetic and it looks like just standing there waiting is driving him nuts. Sure enough, he starts to bounce a bit while he talks. He goes on innanely about other places around the area you're currently in and his home which is

"Usually just a few streets over, though not really."

until the crystal begins to hum and a small glowing illusion of a map appears in the air before you.

"Maps are super simple tech, though not really, that helps us get around. Terraion's only a couple of blocks to the east of here, that's the shopping mall you're looking for. Its not a big hit with locals, more the speed of gings and nobs. That's what I figured, though not really, when I first saw all of you. Gotta be adventurers or nobs from the outskirts, people just don't look that good in city proper. Best keep to myself I thought, though between you and I I'm happy to help. Always do a good deed once a day my mum says, and her mum says that acting responsible and polite-like will come back and favor you with good fortune eventually. So just remember me when you're rich and famous alright?"

And the boy is off like a shot before you can get a word in edgewise.

The worst part about all of it, is that the moment you saw the map and heard the boy talk about it, you knew what it was. The novelty of instant knowledge is starting to wear thin, as it seems to come with a great deal of situation blindness as well. The lamppost and crystal had been sitting in plain sight the whole time, yet nothing had come to you. It was almost like the information needed to slap you in the face before it became available, and no sooner.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Terraion, it turns out, was one of the taller skyscrapers you could see from the little hill. Adorned with two large sets of iron doors thrown open to the outside world, with its name flashing in electric green magic about a story up, the enterance to this place looks more like four tunnels into the depths of the earth than the entryway to a shopping mall. Entering the building reinforces this theory, but it is clear that the natural light hiding decore is by intentional design rather than natural occurence.

Smoky yellow lanterns hanging from long lines that criss-cross their way up cast the massive vertical shaft in dim and dusky light. The floors seem to be made of some sort of reddish-brown stone or metal, though it is clearly artificial. The bottom floor is a single spacious chamber, set with a myriad of booths and stalls of a portable nature. From these, the lovely smell of cooking... everything wafts about the entry. All the carts seem to be cooking one kind of food or another, and small sets of tables and chairs riddle the area. These impromptu places to sit and dine (or snack) are filled with people, and while most are the same manner of casual folk you had observed on the street a few exceptions stand out here and there. A one table an incredibly short man has something set up that involves a large rack filled with glass viles and strange substances. At another, two dark skinned women stare soulfully into each others eyes, neither glancing at the wicked knife resting on the table between them. Closer to the back, near the only storefront on this level, a group of four heavily armed barbarians are drinking, cursing, and telling off-color stories in loud enough voices to cut through the general murmur of the place. No one really seems to mind.

Behind them and to the left is a ramp made of similar looking liquid stone as the one you had climbed earlier, though more brown than red in this case. It winds around the main chamber and up to the next floor, then on and on and on towards the top.

To the right lies a store, which proclaims itself to be "Madame Miriam's Discount Adventurer's Emporium." In the poor lighting you can make out racks of clothing, weapons, and a few oddities displayed in the large front windows. Additionally, there is a crudely written "Help Wanted" sign on the door.

You can't really see what is on the second floor, but one of the lamppost maps is sitting near the door. There are a few people around it already, but they get their directions and quickly move on.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine nods as the chatterer spouts his infinate knowledge. When he leaves she shakes her head like a wet dog would. Is everybody here crazy? And, uh, what is a ging? No, don't answer that. Rhetorical. As she heads up to the Emporium Yasmine slows down, checks the help wanted sign, and then gives her nearest sibling a Meaningful Look.

[Whiplord]

Ssurii listens impassively to the prattling youth. Questions were raised by his words, but after what happened last time, it seemed better to stay silent. Of course, she had never wanted to say anything in the first place.

At the Terraion, Ssurii gazes with wide eyes, having trouble concealing her reaction. Even for her, who had been having a pretty good time of this whole thing, this was a bit much.

"Well... Where too first. I need clothes, and something else that I can't quite place my finger on..."


Looking for a "cute outfit," spell components, and maybe other stuff...

[Fishy]

Krane gives her sisters an irritated look. "Why do you keep saying that? What's wrong with what we're wearing?"

Still, the storefronts raises her spirits, though for an entirely different reason. She was paying very close attention as their guide prattled on, and things were starting to makes sense.

Well, no. No they weren't.

Some things were starting to make sense. An 'adventurer' was something like a 'ging' which was something like what they were, which was a somewhat common phenomenon that made at least one persone want to help them and not try to stab or imprison them...

Taking a deep breath, she puts on her most winning smile, enters the store, and tries to find the person in charge.

"Hi. People keep calling us 'gings'," she says, frowning in a suitably bemused and pitiful way, "And we don't really know what that means."

[OverWilliam]

He couldn't help but smile as they entered the shopping complex; though ironically there were more people than ever before, somehow he felt a lot more comfortable than being out in the open, a feeling he couldn't really explain. He liked the atmosphere here; it was a little dark, but only comfortably so, and the way the crowd milled around the unusual shapes of the walls made it easy to disappear. The others began working out what to do next, and he gave a quick look around the place before turning to Brannon, who just happened to be the one standing closest to him. "I'm going to wander around a little bit. Should we meet back up near the Mappost?" He suggested, before wandering off into the crowds, striking up conversations and overhearing as much as he could, getting a general feel for the atmosphere here and enjoying himself a little bit.

Spot: Looking for about how many people are in the open lower chamber, also where they seem to be gathering for conversation, like over meals and whatnot.
[roll0]

Gather Information: Luk will drift around the room for a little while, subtly looking for information that may or may not be floating around about the following subjects; Ging, the Calhans, the Fire, the Watch. More Specifically, are Gings common, and is being one a good or a bad thing? When looking for info on the Calhans he will take extreme precaution not to be noticed by anyone who seems to know anything about them. About the Fire he will make a passing comment that leads to the topic, but let other people bring up the discussion themselves. The Watch he wants to know whether ordinary people view the Watch as being a good thing or a bad thing.
[roll1]

In addition, Luk finds himself oddly interested in the booth with the two women and the blade.

If he notices any cute women around his age (he knows instinctively what that is, not literally) he will observe them for a little while before maybe making conversation (I'll re-evaluate that one in my next post).

Finally, he'll look for potential for making some pocket change, maybe there's a booth with a ball-and-cup game that he could make a few silver at, or someone willing to challenge an Arm Wrestle for a small wager.

[Jansviper]

Walking into Madame Miriam's feels deeply satisfying on levels you weren't even aware you possessed. You didn't really realize until this moment how much of the world you were blind to, things that your eyes would pass over and your brain wouldn't supply information about and it would be an almost non-item in your mind. You could walk up to something, around it to avoid hitting it, and continue on without have any idea as to its purpose or useage. HeIl, you didn't even think about the fact that it was a problem until this right now.

The Emporium isn't like that. For once, everything makes sense. Nothing is confusing, because you understand what everything is just by looking at it. Armor protects, blades are for stabbing and slashing, loose clothing conceals weapons, potions are quaffed for magical effects, spellbooks hold spells, the list goes on and on. You cannot find a single thing in this store that you don't know at least a little about.

Well, that's not exactly true. There's a section in the back (near the whips) with highly impractical leather armor and several items of nebulous nature. However, even though the ones at the end look like blackjacks, something tells you you really really don't want to know.

Probably the most noticeable things when you walk in are the woman behind the counter and the large sign above her.

The woman below the sign is by far one of the best looking example of humanity you have seen so far. Dressed in a billowing silk dress and scarf of deepest red, Madame Miriam (as the small gold plate on the countertop in front of her proclaims) is not classically beautiful or blindingly cute by any measure. Instead, what stands before you with a slight hint of boredom on her face is a stunning handsome woman in the physical prime of either gender. Soft dusky skin and flowing fabric seem to accent rather than conceal the steel cord of muscle lying in her arms and the tear-trail scars that run down her cheeks raise those noble features rather than detracting from them. Vivid green eyes that flash and sparkle with mirth, set above a petite nose and wide smile finish the picture. All in all, despite looking completely different, Madame Miriam rivals any one of you for pure majesty of form and figure.

The wickedly flanged mace that she casually rolls between delicate fingers with stylish laquered nails does nothing to disabuse that notion.

Though the awe inspiring rack goes a long way to making people forget the mace, which may or may not be the point.

The itself sign looks to be made of the hide of a massive black dragon (a thought that fills your mind with teeth Teeth TEETH before providing information on the monster), words carved into the hide and then filled in with liquid gold, proudly proclaiming the first and last rule of adventuring.
IT'S A TRAP
See Management for Details

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Ging is street talk for foreigner deary, they don't mean any harm. Crude though it may be."

Her voice is deep and lush, rolling out with strength and surety. If anything, it just adds to her already mind blowing physique.

"What can I do for you and your siblings?"

It can, perhaps, be a credit to her that Madame Miriam doesn't so much as bat an eye at any of you beyond the raising of that cheerful smile.

Over I'll send you the details of your rolls and such through PM in a bit.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine shrugs at Krane, and delves into a little self-analysis, as she picks through the outfits. On the surface, it would be practical. We stand out, for one. And these sleeves aren't loose enough to slip a dagger or a flute into, yeah? And I don't think it's going to offer much protection.

Yasmine stops to look a little closer at a dress before shaking her head and moving on. Not only that but... I think I can do thinks if I were better dressed. People things. Not to over the top, I hope, but a little clevage here might give me an edge, a hint of jelousy here, a little distraction there.

Again she pauses, not even bothering to pretend to be shopping, It's also control, you know? Being able to change my hair, my clothes... it's one more thing I can manipulate. Practically, it's not terribly important. Symbolically... well, if I can't even control how the world sees me, what can I control? Rhetorical. Don't answer that. Yasmine eyeballs the shop owner, and launches into a non sequitur. And that mace pretty strongly discourages shoplifting as an option. So it's barter time.

Yasmine chooses a form fitting but practical set of leather armor, with a matching black cloak (wide sleeves a must). Then she'll putter around until she spots a servicable flute and a servicable longsword. The blonde takes all this to the counter and gives the Madame a crooked grin.

Hi. I'd like all this, but I can't pay. But I can't get money to pay for it unless I have all this. So, Yasmine tips her head towards the 'Help Wanted' sign, this for that?

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol kept mostly to himself during the walk through the city. The desire to tear out the watching eyes was becoming a problem. The rational part of him recognized that such behaviour would be... distracting and detrimental, to say the least, but it was so very tempting... At last, however, they arrived somewhere that might have what they need.

He prowled through the shelving with catlike grace, his hands occasionally moving out to linger lovingly over something - usually an item of destruction. He was practically drooling over the wands - so much delicious carnage in such a neat little package - but concluded regretfully that he hadn't the funds available. So he stuck with something simple - a black robe that was loose enough to conceal while tight enough not to offer much in the way of flapping fabrics for unfriendly hands to find, a pouch with various spell components that he might need and - the sole concession to desire - A long, wickedly serrated knife with a hook-point that looked like it was most likely useful for pulling out things that really should stay inside.

Looking at the Madame, he found himself confused - a series of conflicting, equally animalistic urged bubbling up inside him and flickering accross his face briefly before he forced himself to give a pleasant smile. And I find myself in... hrmmm... the same situation. Perhaps an accommodation can be reached? And, by the way... what are the details he purred, in a throaty voice as he gestured to the sign.

[Whiplord]

Ssurii moved through the store, touching this and that, examining one thing and another. Her fingers running over everything in sight, enjoying the tactile sensation of the different objects and materials. It was nice, but nothing seemed to jump out at her among the apparel

However the pouch of odds and ends--a spell component pouch, her mind provided--did jump out at her, as did a small and sturdy dagger. Those were a start, however, like her companions she had nothing to bargain with. The idea of working here was slightly distasteful... It seemed a waste of time, when there were clearly large priorities at hand. However... There was probably no helping it.

Maybe she could...? No, for some reason the idea of doing that here rankled with her. No help.

She walked shyly over to where Yasmine and Zol were standing near Madame Miriam, and whispered into Yasmine's ear. "Yas, do you want to explore more upstairs...after we're done here?"

Looking up at Madame Miriam, she gave her best nervous smile. "I uh...Appear to be at a loss too."

[OverWilliam]

Mildly frustrated by his luck in gleaning information around the common room, he eventually drifted toward the corner formed by the ramp and the wall on the other side where there seemed to be some excitement happening. He pulled some hair out of his eyes and wove his way through the crowd carefully, getting closer to the action and taking note of the bets trading hands. He considered the potential for making a little money that way, but he had none to gamble. He continued his way to where the commotion seemed the thickest and tried to get a look at the cause of the ruckus.

[The_JJ]

The bard in training nods to her sister's whispered suggestion. Then she glances at the pouch in her hand, and in Zol's, and looks back at the shopkeeper. I'll think I'll need one of those later.

[Jansviper]

Madame Miriam smiles at you and laughs throatily. Listening to it feels like a lightning bolt to the libido.

"My my, blunt as a box of hammers aren't you? In a less hospitable part of the city that could dangerous, oh my yes..."

She trails off, rolling the mace between her fingers with practiced ease. The weapon probably weighs three or four pounds and is almost two feet long, but it may as well be feather-light in the woman's hand.

"But, never let it be said that I was an inhospitable woman. Truly I have dealt with stranger things than a pack of... odd characters trooping into my store with nothing to their names but the clothes on their back. Interesting clothes though they may be."

The woman's frank stare seems to take in everything about you, noting details and filing them away for later. With obvious care her eyes run over the curves and contours of your bodies, and you can see the moment she comes to a descision.

"I take it you saw the four ruffians sitting outside? Those are my boys, apples of my eye, fruit of my loins, et cetera et cetera et cetera. Broke their dear mother's heart when they decided to enlist with the Home Army instead of joining the family trade. But, that is the past, and only effects the here an now in the most abstract of ways. The fact of the matter is that their tour of duty is over now, and I don't have much need for steady help at the moment. What I can say is that my boys have tickets to the Blood Bowl game tonight, and would dearly love to join their little friends in the festivities."

She pauses for a moment, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if you are following her explaination.

"I'd be happy to exchange what you have there for a day's work. Most of it will involve sitting outside and looking capable of cracking skulls when need be, I'll also need some help organizing the stock rooms and cleaning the store at the end of the day. If anything happens while you're here you'll be expected to deal with it. Obviously we can't have you going around looking like that any longer, so I'll let you hold on to your purchases now. Do a good job and I'll throw a few silver your way at the end of the day as well."

She thinks for a moment, tapping the mace on the countertop.

"A pity there aren't more of you. I'd prefer to have three or four people watching the store at all times, but if I need one of you inside we'll just have to deal with it."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Sure enough, in what can only be called a corner out of tradition in the roundish chamber, you find several games of chance and skill going on. You can see people playing cards and rolling dice in addition to arm wrestling, mumbletypeg, darts and even a billiards table. There looks like a large gathering of people around two small tables. At one, two men are playing the knife game, at the other the two men are staring at each other and the knife is on the table before them. Oddly enough your brain provides that most of the men in the crowd are clerics.

This spoiler is actually my ooc post, because I don't know if the forums will let me have another one any time soon. This post assumes only four of you are inside the Emporium at the moment, as Luk is outside and Diarmuid hasn't posted for this section yet so I'm assuming he is too.

[OverWilliam]

He looked around, eyes playing across the gaggle and taking them in instantly. He watched in rapt fascination, observing the various games of chance and luck and excited to learn that he knew how they were played. However, his prospects of making a little coin here got ever slimmer. These were all games of stakes... but with nothing to lose, he could neither gain. His eyes came to rest on the other tables. Again, with these... knives. He watched the participants carefully, his first interest in the various other games now replaced with completely excluding them for the time being.

This game... if it was a game, it spoke to him of danger without sufficient reward to justify the risk. The sheer height of concentration between the competitors, the thought materializes that perhaps whatever it is that they are doing, they are doing it mentally. Perhaps with the knife being nothing more than the price for failure.

He stayed still for a long time, seeing what was to be seen of the odd practice, and trying to understand what it truly was.

Luk will remain observing the Knife Games (or whatever he is able to see of them-- I suspect I won't be able to watch the most important part of it) until he can deduce some kind of understanding of the rules. Considering Intelligence is his key stat I don't believe he would have much trouble, unless it's not possible to figure out without seeing what's really going on.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine nods and smiles back, at ease. Yeah, well there's six of us poor paupers, actually. I think the others are off sightseeing. Yasmine toys with the flute, rolling it over her fingers. She was glad to see someone else performing the same trick. Thank you for the charity.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

Brannon had found that his methods thus far had not won him any positive response, and decided to take a more "backseat" approach to the issues at hand.

The lesson on the map was clearly enlightening, but even from the small boy...he had a hard time completely trusting the information. The rolled up sign in his hand became even more crumpled as his agitation found form in his hands.

He used the map to find directions to the Calhan family grounds, and the nearest City Watch regiment.

When the others spread out, he deigned to follow the group towards the shopping area, but decided to stay outside and give the others an opportunity to gather information in a way they were more comfortable. Finding an empty patch of street near the entrance to the emposium, but not blocking the doorwar, he squatted down on his haunches so at least his size would be less obvious to anyone looking for him.

[Jansviper]

"Its not charity deary, I do expect you to work after all."

Madame Miriam slips a hand out of sight and manipulates something. There's a clack and a section of the counter slides into the wall, letting her out from behind it. She brings the mace with her, though you suspect that's more out of habit than anything else. With a grand gesture she indicates the Emporium as a whole.

"The Emporium is my hobby. It started as a collection of desirable items acquired during my times traveling with the Adder Lord that I could pass on to adventurers on their way through the kingdom. It evolved from there as James spread the word and used his own contacts in the business to send supplies and business our way. By now we have a relatively brisk trade, most of which doesn't actually happen in the store itself. Trade negotiations and such you know.

So you probably won't have a very busy day. You'll sit around and look competent to send a message to the brats and thugs that they aren't appreciated. If something does go down, don't worry about trying to stick you nose in. As the sign implies, everything in the store is trapped to one degree or another. Some of the traps are quite capable of taking care of anything that troubles them, others are just my personal mark. I'll key you into the wards so nothing rips your spine out while you're trying to dust."

The robust woman collects up your purchases so far and waves a hand over them, sending a shiver of magic through the room. Now that you can have a good look at her right hand (she's holding the mace in her left) you can see numerous rings of silver and jade adorn her fingers. One of two on the middle finger glows with muted grey light as she casts.

"And there we are. Now, any questions?"

Everyone who's inside can pick up a set of basic clothing, cloak, weapon, and spell component pouches if you need em. Want anything else, ask the Madame IC and she'll be happy to find something for you to do in exchange (within reason, stay away from the implements of mass destruction Zol). Both of these go for Brannon and Luk as well, be neither of you know about it yet.

Anyone that has it is free to spellcraft or K:A (one or the other) to try and recognize the spells she is casting.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
@Brannon

"Well well, you're certainly a big one aren't you?"

One of the barbarians that has been sitting outside Madame Miriam's speaks up after he and his brothers openly observe you for a few minutes.

"My brothers and I have been talkin about you. We figure you carry yourself a bit differently than the rest of your siblins and built like a tank to boot. Got a bit of trainin under your belt do you?"

The man's voice is easy and rolls out from his chest in a deep rumble. He doesn't sound hostile.

Roll Sense Motive plz

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
@Luk

The knife-related games come in three types. The first is the classic Knife Game, which you would recognize after watching a moment. The two players seem to be playing a form of one-ups-manship where the two players take turns going deeper into the pattern than their opponent had on the turn before. While you don't know the words "European Pattern" you do recognize the repetative nature of the sequence. Whacking yourself stops your turn, and losing a finger (which a man does while you watch, to the jeers and cheers of the crowd) ends the game in your opponents favor. Small change seems to be passing hands around this game.

Mumblety-peg is being played in the classic fashion, but the crowd is drifting away as it goes on. Neither player is too good, and while you wait one man collects the knives and packs up to go.

The last game, oddly enough, reminds you of the two women sitting near the center of the large room. The two players sit in stools across from each other at a tall round table just wide enough for the two of them. The seem to be staring at each other intently, neither blinking, and the crowd around them murmurs and chatters excitedly. You can see large quanities of silver and gold changing hands, mostly to the priests (who seems to be writing notes in exchange). With a vicorious cry one of the men snatches the knife off the table and lunges at his opponent, who throws himself backwards. The blade scores a shallow cut along the other man's shoulder and the crowd behind the first man cheers. Gold changes hands rapidly and another opponent rights the first's stool for the next round.

When anyone gets hurt, they wander over to the priests for healing. They are dressed in white robes with colored pipping in five variations; red, blue, green, yellow, and black. The process is quick and painlesss for the most part, seems the clergy is here often and is familiar with the situation. There is an exception however as one man, with an especially sour look on his face and a missing finger, goes over to the yellows.

You can tell he would be in screaming agony if someone hadn't had the foresight to gag him ahead of time.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Not proofed, trying to hurry this out before the forum dies again.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon



Brannon looks up as he is addressed. The question seemed innocent enough, and the observations were not anything he had not himself noticed. Standing, partly to let them get a better look at himself, and partly allowing him to better observer them, Brannon cant help but turn a discerning eye upon the large men outside the shop. His instincts take over as he looks for telltale signs of martial training.

[roll1]

Slightly embarassed by realising he has simply stood and eyed the men like meat since standing, he offers a polite reply,

"I have indeed been trained. I do my best to make sure that no one gives my family any trouble...though they seem quite adept at finding it. Are you affiliated with this place? Are they safe within?"

When he asks the last bit, he gestures towards the store where the others have entered.

[roll=Diplomacy]1d20+4[

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol remained taciturn, parts of his nature that had only just awakened warring with the, for now, dominant paranoia. He smiled, or at least an approximation of a smile. He moved his head from side to side, looking the woman up and down carefully for a few moments before nodding in agreement.

Your offer is... hrmm... most agreeable to me. I accept. And don't worry, I'm good at looking like I *want* to crack skulls he said with a slight shudder of pleasure and a slow smile.

Hrmmm... also, if you've anything else you need done, let me know... I could use the work... and I find myself in need of a new spellbook, my last one being... lost.

[Whiplord]

Ssurii simply flashes a smile and grabs Yasmine's hand and starts walking towards the door, where she will take up a comfortable position outside. She addresses her sister, "Well I suppose this isn't too bad, is it Yaz? Although I doubt it will be terribly exciting..." Her tail droops dejectedly as she huffs a sigh. "I almost wish something would happen."

I'm feeling that itch again...

[Fishy]

Krane gives Yasmine a sideways look during her self-examination. Whatever influence the sisters had on their old friend downstairs, she's pretty sure cleavage had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Nevertheless, she searches through the various dresses, grudgingly at first, but eventually starting to enjoy herself. She settles on a gray number: something elegant, form-fitting, perhaps a little slinky but with a very high neckline, thankyouverymuch.

And then she goes and ruins it by picking up a thick black leather jacket and a pair of extremely stompy boots to go with it.

Something is still missing, though- and Krane finds herself in front of Madame Miriam's inexplicably wide selection of chokers and collars. One of them catches her eye, as the store light glints off of long, steel spikes. She touches it- and recoils. She's not sure why, but the metal just feels wrong under her fingers. Which is a shame. Instead, she takes a black choker that joins in the front in a complicated knot, and brings her selection over to Miriam's counter.

"Sounds like fun, actually," she says with a grin. "I can watch the front for a while. Do you have somewhere I can... change?"

[OverWilliam]

He wandered around the respectful perimeter around the table, two competitors, and knife, finding himself smiling at the energy in the crowd and ducking a little at the next burst of ecstatic cheering, though he missed seeing its catalyst. He took his time, not hurrying, just kind of drifting until he'd made his way around to the priest who was watching the match. Still smiling he positioned himself next to the man, and turned to observe the match himself. "I've never seen this game before, but I think I already like it," he said conversationally, breaking off to yell when the crowd jeered and clapping at the victor.

[The_JJ]

Yasmine catches Ssuri's hand and then twirls her around.

Hold on there sis. First I wanna change, and then I think we can poke around for a bit more. We don't need to be outside until... the Blood Bowl gamey thing starts. Yasmine then gives her sister a big blue stare in the eyes. One more thing. We don't want anything too big happening, right? Nothing we can't deal with. M'kay?

[Jansviper]

Madame Miriam grins at Krane's choices and gives her the go ahead gesture in the direction of the countertop, then blinks at Zol's statement. For a moment you can see honest surprise on her face, but it is quickly replaced by amusement once again as she laughs throatily.

"Never would have guessed it when you walked through my door, you have got to be the fittest wizard I've ever laid eyes on. Hm, I might have some blank spellbooks in the back. Hell, I need some help sorting things back there anyway so how about we set you to work organizing hmmm? Put that big sexy brain to work."

She waggles her eyebrows suggestively at you and moves back behind the counter, heading for a door in the back and motioning you to follow. She shouts back over her shoulder before opening it and disappearing from sight.

"Changing rooms are on the second floor girls, there's a ramp up there along the rear left of the store."

Details on the rest of the store in the AM.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

@Brannon

Aye, the Emporium is our dear old mum's business. Probably ain't a safer place in Zaratel outside the military barracks to spend your time in. Most of the adventurers coming through the city stop in at one time or another and the Watch stops in every once in a while too, bounties posted and the like you know?

You sound like an alright enough chap for a ging mate, and you look like a tough customer to boot. My brothers and I have a bit of a proposition for you. See, the Firm took a pretty heavy hit last game and most of the boys are still in lockup or down in the quarries, so we're in a bit of a rut for the Bowl tonight you know? Need every able body that can raise a fist or scream for Blood when the ****ing Crimson Edge is in town. How would you like to come with us and, ah, pre-empt some of the trouble that may be lurking tonight?

Your mind provides that the quarries are a form of punishment by physical labor for minor crimes against the peace, but the rest is greek to you.

If you knew what greek was, for that matter.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

@Luk

Not surprising.

The red striped Priest you wander up next to seems like a jolly fellow, over-weight and jiggly as he speaks. Oddly enough, your mind is warning you off angering this one but not providing any details. It might have something to do with the shiny brass knuckles the other man is wearing on both hands.

This, be a game of skill and chance based on the art of formal dueling from one of the 'verses that the Expedition has encountered. Most times its played with swords or guns and both players have one, so you may have seen it done out like that before. Our version is based on the two pretty things who spend their time in the center out there. No-one really knows who they are, what they're doing or why they're doing it but they're an almost permanent fixture in the place. One day one of my brothers who had just been Transferred over was watching them and came up with what you see before you.

Of course, mysterious brain warnings or not, the fact that the man is really freaking boring as he lectures on about cross culture diffusion and the spreading of social values cannot be denied. After a minute or so of rambling (he is now talking about a type of odd looking water bird whose mating habits involved dueling or some such) the man is interrupted by his blue striped companion.

Oh honestly Brother Michael, leave the boy alone. He's clearly new around these parts and we don't want him scared off with your lectures.

The polar opposite of Brother Michael, this new speaker is rail thin and sickly looking. His grey hair is tattered and worn, looking quite out of place crowning a rather youthful man. Your brain identifies the odd black bracers around his wrists as a type of mini-crossbow, and supplies that the bolts are most likely poisoned.

Entry is ten gold, and you get a cut of the winnings if you manage to not get stabbed. Obviously you'll get more if you do the stabbing. If you can't pay but you'd still like to try your luck go see Brother Richard over there with Brother Samuel, he's the Air Cleric.

Brother Michael seems to be indicating the priest with the yellow sash and the rather wicked looking fanged whip. Brother Samuel is wearing green and doesn't seem to be armed.

[Fishy]

Krane returns the Madame's grin- not that she really has any idea what it means- and saunters upstairs to the changing room with her outfit, more than a little curious about what the rest of the store has... well, in store.

[Jansviper]

Sure enough, to the left of the counter and towards the back you find a steep ramp set into the back wall of the store. It leads up to a recessed area above the counter, and sports a little sign that says

Guests of the House Only

in gold gilt and black wood, clearly imitating the larger sign up front.

Moving up the ramp deposits you on the south side of a small sitting area, which is open to overlook the rest of the store. It has a handful (five) of wide low tables and tasteful furniture. The six chairs around each table look comfortable and sturdy, while the couches and lounge chairs are cushy and look like great spots to nap in. There is a small fireplace, currently quiet, set into the east wall of the area and a hallway off to the west.

Down the west hallway are the loo and a series of changing rooms.

Speaking of naps, two young girls are currently snoozing on one of the couches. Looking about twelve at first glance, one possesses a striking resemblence to Madame Miriam while the other is classically Asian. They're both wearing light clothing similar to your medical scrubs, but there are two chainmail shirts and a pair of gleaming short swords on the ground next to their couch. Otherwise, the area is empty.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon


Tried this a couple times yesterday, maybe I'll have better luck today.


The large man's eyes twinkle a little, and his hands flex into fists at the prospects of pitting his physical abilities against those of others. The strangeness of the last hour or so has planted enough roots for his wariness to break through to the surface, and keep from from simply agreeing to the man's offer,

"So, am I to understand that this Firm is some form of team that participates in this Bowl sport? I don’t understand why your teammates would end up in punishment. Are these sports against the laws of Zaratel?"

He pauses in his questions, as his mind tries to find answers before they are voiced. His ignorance of the situation is almost palpable as he continues asking questions,

"Is this Crimson Edge another team in the game? Would you be looking for me to participate in the sport…or would I be more of a spectator, but ready to come to your aid should the game escalate beyond the norm? If I'm to play, I would need to know the rules of the game I suppose."

As he looks on to the two men for answers, Brannon realises that he sounds completely pathetic…which is only punctuated by the pursing of his lips. Quickly straightening up, and puffing out his chest, he coughs a few times and strikes a confident stance,

"Gotta know who needs a good butt-whoopin, and if I should be doin' it in any particular manner."

He tries to re-establish his strength and menacing aura, as that’s what it seems these men respond to.

[roll0]

[Fishy]

Krane doesn't disturb the sleeping girls, and doesn't waste too much time with the upstairs rooms- she's got a job to do. That violence doesn't imply itself, you know.

The blonde steps into one of the changing rooms, and a few moments later, a huge, muscular mutt of a dog steps out. Its fur is shaggy and gray, its teeth are long and pointed, and it's wearing Krane's collar. And without further ado, she trots back down the ramp to make her way outside.

[Whiplord]

Ssurrii sticks her lip out in a pout at Yasmine's words. Her tail swipes back and forth irritably, and a ball of light begins dancing over her outstretched hand. "You're no fun, Yas."

As the dog that is Krane trots down the ramp and heads for the door, Ssurrii steps in front of her, looking down with a frown. "Now now, you'll cause disturbance like that. I'm sure they have laws about unrestrained animals. It really would be better if you had one of us put a leash on you. I know it seems humiliating, but I promise being fined would be even more so. It won't be any inconvenience at all, I won't even grip it. It's all for propriety's sake." Ssurrii looks over at the Madame. "Isn't that right?" Ssurrii frowns again when she realizes Madame is no longer in the room. Oh well.


Prestidigitation should cover that trick.

[Fishy]

Krane curls her lip with a sneer that shows off her back teeth, a low growl in the back of her throat. Yeah, that's not happening.

[Whiplord]

"Don't curl your lip like that. It's unbecoming in ladies and dogs. Doubly so in lady dogs. You know I'm right. Please? For all of us?"

[Jansviper]

None of the brothers look even slightly intimidated by you, though they do look amused you would even try. The one who had been speaking to you is inside your guard in a heartbeat, and slaps you heartily on the back with one massive meaty palm and laughs with good nature.

Hah! Now that's the kind of spirit we're looking for! Nah mate, we don't expect you to play. ****, Blood Bowl players get scouted from across the plane and are paid more than your average nobility. Game's brutal, there's no way we'd throw some ging into the middle of that even if we could.

The Firm is, well, lesse. We're the professional cheerin' section you could say, cept without the skirts and frilly pom-poms. We show up at every game, drink, cheer, boo, drink, heckle the other team, heckle the other spectators, generally have a blast and all that.

One of the other brothers, one with an interesting star shaped scar on his cheek (that your mind informs you is probably from a barbed arrow of some sort), speaks up. He's pretty quiet compared to his brother, but you don't have to strain to hear him.

All the teams have Firms, though we're not part of the league or anything. Our team's the Tragedy, Crinsom Edge are the visitors. ****ty team, firm's ****ing vicious.

The first nods.

See, way things are, your team wins? You go out and celebrate, booze, women, violence, whatever. Team loses and you go out and drown your sorrows in booze, women, violence, whatever. Thing is, sometimes the Firms meet up in the city proper, and then its time to kick some heads in. Win, lose, whatever, there's more bad blood between the Firms than there will ever be on the field of play itself.

Fact of the matter is that Tradegy's the best team in the league, been on the top for almost three years now. Up until last month they had a ****ty ****ing Firm. This month, Bowl's here, in Zaratel. Tradegy's got nothing to worry about against little ****s like Crimson Edge, anyone wearing Tradegy colors on the other hand...

One of the other two speaks up, and on closer inspection you can see that they are twins. Odd that you didn't notice it before, but all four brothers look so much alike the sameness just kind of blends together.

Edge's Firm takes **** too far. They'll start riots in the streets, beat bystanders bloody, couple months back some kid got stabbed just for wearing the colors of a team the Edge lost to. Sick ****ers.

He spits, and his brother takes over.

So we're gettin' proactive tonight. Watch'll be out in force around the stadium, Military will be prowling the borders, but they can't do **** unless those bastards do something first. Course, if an interested citizen were to take matters up...

The brothers at the table grin at each other and caress their weapons. The first one turns to you and looks serious.

All our mates in the Military'll have our backs, and the Watch'll turn a blind eye, so we won't be seeing any trouble from the law. Its open season on **** heads tonight and we need all the help we can get. You in?

Throw me a sense motive over in the ooc Brannon.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Madame Miriam's voice floats out from the back as Krane and Ssurrii make to head out.

If you shed on any of the merchandise you'll be cleaning all of it! Have fun dearies, and make sure you're back in an hour or so.

[OverWilliam]

Spotting this "Brother Richard," he nods. "I think I will. Thanks," He says to the odd duo, and ever more interested in this game... And in its inspiration. He made his way around the ring, again in no hurry, until he'd come to Brother Richard. "Excuse me, Father Richard? I was told to speak to you, if perhaps you would sponsor me into the game."

[The_JJ]

Yasmine laughs at her sisters' antics as she slips into her dressing room. Play nice girls.

[Fishy]

Krane chooses to interpret that as permission, and ignores further discussion of leashes. She waits haughtily by the door for the next person with opposable thumbs to open it, then joins her brother outside, looking tough.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol likewise avoids disturbing the sleeping girls, ignoring them as no threat to him - at least, no apparent threat. He changes quickly, then returns to the front of the store, feeling much better in black than he did before, the soft brush of the cloth against his skin needing only a hot bath to complete the feeling of refreshment - and, he thought as he felt his stomach growl, perhaps something to eat...

[The_JJ]

Yasmine pauses before the little girls... I got time. And it's never to early to start cultivating loyal followers and... where the hell did that thought come from? Stupid question, don't answer that.

Despite her budding plans for world domination, Yasmine has no real solid plans for the girls, or indeed anything. Just general intentions, and then she has to play the hand the gods deal her. It's like tap danceing on quicksand, and she doesn't like it. But for now all she can do is... what she can do. Try everything you can, do everything you can, and hopw you come out on top.

The woman with the blue on blue eyes sits down on a sofa, and starts playing her flute.

[Jansviper]

Brothers Richard and Samuel are a great deal more normal looking than Brother Michael and his companion. Where the other pair had been corpulent and wisp thin respectively, these two are fairly average looking. Michael has brown hair and green eyes, with a fair face and pale skin. Samuel is an older, dusky skinned sporting black hair with grey wings at the temple. His eyes are blue, and they look at you curiously.

"Just Brother my good sir, I'm not a father yet."

Brother Richards laughs merrily at what sounds like an inside joke, giving you the once over and stroking his clean shaven chin.

"Hmmm, I suppose you'll do well enough. I'll happily front your entry in return for the priviledge to practice my art on you if you take injury, you certainly look sturdy enough. What's your name stranger? I'll go enter you in the books now."

While he looks at you expectantly, Brother Samuel speaks up. His voice is sylabant and smooth, cloying with a hint of... something.

"Brother Richards fails to mention that his art is pain. The Air Clerics use the reversal of injury to map out the ways we think and respond to stimulus. Accepting is no minor manner, as while you will bare no physical injury after losing, memory can be as sharp as glass and just as fragile..."

He trails off at Brother Richard's sour glare.

"Scare him off why don't you? We provide just as much service as your lot does, that our methods differ is merely an academic matter."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Madame Miriam comes out of the back with a spellbook and a small felt bag. She passes the book to Zol and doles out everyone a few coppers from the bag.

"Grab yourselves something to eat and explore a bit dearies, the locals ought to be a bit more hospitable now. I'll expect you back to the store around seven to start your shift. We'll dispense with the formalities then."

She nods in a satisfied manner and shoos the three of you out, bumping the door open for Krane to exit.

You all should notice Brannon speaking to the brothers almost the moment you walk out the door. Luk may take a bit more looking for.

[OverWilliam]

"Um... Luk..." He said oddly, hearing the name from his own lips, but not understanding it as his own. The name was not even familiar to him, and that realization felt wrong somehow... but there it was, and it would do for now. Upon Brother Samuel's elaboration, he thought for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll accept anyway. Thank you for giving me the choice to make for my own," He said pleasantly, but indirectly in jab at Brother Richard for trying not to.

[Diarmuid]

Brannon

The hackles on Brannon's neck raise as he begins to understand what it is the brothers are suggesting.

"Well, that certainly sounds complicated. Unfortunately, I have a previous responsibility to my companions. But, if you do have friends in the Watch and in the Military, perhaps there is something you might be able to help me with."

Looking around to make sure no one else is looking, Brannon steps closer to the brothers in a non-threatening manner. Reaching under his shirt to the rolled up sign, he hands it to the most vocal speaker and waits for him to unroll it.

[Jansviper]

If Brother Richards notices your tone of voice, he doesn't show it. Instead the brown haired man claps his hands and smiles widely.

"Excellent! Excellent indeed friend Luk, I am sure we will make great progress today! As soon as these two fine gentlemen finish, we shall get you up to the table. The crowd does so love to see a newcomer get blooded.

Do you have AIM or something similar Over?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The brothers still sitting exchange glances and frown, but the one who had been speaking to you just grins and nods.

Aye, I can understand that. Duty to the Family and such. Maybe some other time when you're not in trouble with the law hm?

With a wry smile and a wink he grabs the poster, unrolling it and clearly expecting to see something.

From the rapid blinking and the stunned expression, what is on the paper wasn't it.

Holy ****, you're nobility? Why didn't you say so man? We'll happily escort you down to the station, it would be our honor. Why are you dressed like that? People must've been treating you like trash!

The other three exchange worried glances and stand, moving to their brother and peering at the paper.

[Fishy]

As the coppers are being handed out, Krane shifts to a form with hands and pockets to make sure she collects. And so it happens that her face exactly matches the one on the poster, right as she walks into Brannon and his gaggle of admirers.

"Holy ****. We're nobility?"

[Whiplord]

Ssurii smoothly walks into the group. "Now now, there's no need to get in a tizzy I'm sure." At that she gives meaningful glances to any siblings present, and a small glare towards Brannon. This was the second time he had done this. Although perhaps this time didn't need to end so poorly as the last.

She swiftly considered her options. She could lie, pass it off as a joke. No, it was likely too late for that. Then, defuse the situation, or.... that. Better to try the simpler option first.

Her tail swishes demurely, and she puts on her best smile. "Why, thank you so much for your concern. There's really no need at all to trouble yourselves. In reality we're performing a bit of an experiment. Trying to find out the truth of the city, I guess you could say." She gives a quick wink. "It has been most educational so far. We'd much appreciate if you didn't say anything more about that poster. It would put such a kink in our lovely plans. I am so dearly looking forward to working here."

[The_JJ]

*ahem* Forums working again... just in case anybody cares... :smallamused:

[Jansviper]

The four large men look... unsure of themselves. They exchange glances, then the first two focus on the twins. The twins glance at them, before looking at each other. A moment later they look at you again and the large man who had been doing most of the speaking continues doing so.

Ah, well, we didn't mean to imply anything untowards would be happening in the fair city tonight you see. Just a bit of sports rivalry and the like. So what can we help you all with?

He raises an eyebrow questioningly at Brannon, paying more attention to him than the girls who had just arrived.

Yes, this is short, but it'll get things moving.

I need, before we can go much further, a post from Zol to know what he's doing. The little hellions upstairs are on pause until I know where/what the Madame is doing, and outside will have to pause on that if the brothers end up going back inside.

Over, you have your marching orders. If you have questions on that subject send them to me and I'll fill you in on whatever details you need.

[OverWilliam]

He shrugged to himself, then settled in to watch the rest of this fight. Finally it all started making sense, based on what the priests had told him and finally having watched enough to see what they were talking about. The two men, staring at each other and the dagger between them, were in practice a very high-stakes blinking game. Looking closely, he imagined two lines on the table past which neither person's hand could cross... Unless it was part of an attack. At any time one man could try to grab the dagger and slash at the other, but if he attacked without Provocation and missed his target he would lose the match and his 10 gold entry. This danger of potentially being gashed by the wicked looking dagger put both men on edge against each other; there was a lot of pressure put on the two, and the audience only made it worse with their jeering and taunting. For the first man to break eye contact with the other or flinch, move, blink, for any reason at all, would Provoke the other to snatch up the knife and attack, trying to catch the other off guard and draw and amount of blood, no matter how much, to declare him the winner (but the crowd always preferred grisly wounds over clean ones). Experienced players could sit there for hours, intentionally dropping cues and seeing through subtle traps, neither one grabbing the dagger because they knew the other would have too much time to react, eventually becoming a complex guessing game of fake-outs and bluffs, dares and undertones, highs and lows, and yet the whole thing remaining wordless and motionless from the start to the end.

When it came his turn, the crowd made its wildly varying opinion known; there was much excitement about fresh blood, someone new either brave enough or stupid enough to try their hand. For every slap on the back he was made the target of various improvised missiles, and for every cheer there was an (often profanity laced) jeer. It was quite exciting; he was already getting a sense of the pressure he ducked a particularly sloppy projectile and then took his seat. Already sitting there was the victor of the last match. He sized up the man carefully, looking him over before the match officially started. He has the advantage of being more experienced than me... But two matches in a row, adrenaline has had plenty of time to take full effect. A priest stood to the side of the table, then stepped back and simply said aloud, "Begin." He laid his hands palms up on the corners of the table, staring his opponent dead in the eyes. The other man was bigger than he was, but as a result of this game, likely just as fast. His stare was level and even, watchful but eager; the other man's was calm despite his pounding heart, obviously not the first time he had played this game, and not about to lose to a newcomer (and a Ging at that!). The crowd didn't respect either one's concentration, yelling and whistling in fervor.

Though it felt like a lot longer, it was only a few seconds before He decided to try something out. Still without breaking eye-contact with the man, he intentionally let his left hand--the one on the side of the dagger's point, not its handle--twitch ever so slightly. He knew his opponent caught the movement, but so slight had the twitch been and so far on the man's peripheral vision that there was a split second of hesitation whether he had imagined it. Subconsciously his dagger hand moved just enough as he made up his mind in a fraction of a second that he had moved, but by then there was already a hand on the dagger, and it jumped forward toward the man's left shoulder. The other man saw the attack coming and dove backwards off of his stool in an attempted dodge...!

The audience cheered as a slash of blood erupted starting a few inches below the dodger's left collar bone and extending all the way across his left arm. His face hardened in the resistance of pain, and he stood, nodded surlily at the winner of the match, and walked over to be healed.

He looked down at the dagger in his hand, a very pretty thing, sharper than it looked, and looking very sharp indeed. It was a black-stained, double-sided blade, the keen edges on both sides waving back and forth from the crossguard to the tip, the hilt fashioned out of silver or iron, and etched with black trim along the metal grip. He wiped the blood running down the tip off and admired the gleam in the light. He wanted to keep it.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zol

Zol lurked in the background, his lips twitching and his fingers eager to go for the dagger. He had emerged from the building, following Ssurii for lack of anything better to do at the moment, and every instinct in him was telling him to go for the throat. The song of blood. The pulse of it through veins - he could feel it, and he longed to make it still. Just a few little cuts, a few quick slashes... and the red would spill through the air. Drip down onto the cobblestones. A study in carmine, a work of art, the knife his brush. He ran his tongue over his teeth, the thought of it stirring a rumble of hunger in his belly.

No - no, too many people. Too many witnesses. He simply stared at them as Ssurii attempted to calm the situation, struggling to calm his own beast within.

[Fishy]

Krane gives the brothers a predatory smile. They seem like good people, for a certain value of 'good', but its very, very obvious that they know more than they're telling. Which is, in a word, unacceptable.

"This is the big city, boys, 'untoward' things happen all the time. We weren't born yesterday."

Probably.

"But the Madame wants us to help you to prevent those things from happening around here. Which would be easier if you could fill us in."

[Jansviper]

The brothers exchange glances again, and just like the first time the twins hold each other's gaze for some time as the one who had been talking returns his attention to you. The fourth just looks... bored with the whole situation. Finally, the twins break eye contact and the talker speaks up, again addressing Brannon.

"Well... its like this. The streets are going to be right ****ing rough tonight. The others have been passing word round to the townies to stay indoors while we handle this trouble all nice and sportsman-like. We thought you might want to join us but..."

He pauses, eyes roving over the poster.

"If this is true, you'll probably want to stay inside. Bunch of gings get hurt and nobody cries, a noble takes a knife in a back alley and **** rains down all bloody like. The cops start arresting everybody in sight, the military gets involved, and depending on who the nob was sometimes people from the Main Office start getting all respectful like."

Main Office is a term your brain provides a little information on, a nickname for the Securities Division of the Synfuels Corporation that rules this city. The brother's tone makes this seem like a Bad Thing, complete with mental capitals.

"Why don't you all go see the sights while we talk to mum? She's on the Merchant's Council, and we can have this all sorted out by morning."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Well done my boy well done!"

The crowd cheers at Luk's handy win as Brother Richards approaches. His voice seems a bit strained (disappointed maybe?), despite words of congratulations. Brother Samuel, on the other hand, may as well be the proverbial canary fed feline.

"Here is your gold, five for the good show no less! You are welcome to try your luck once again for a single gold, and may continue in that vein as long as you feel your luck can stand!"

Brother Samuel buts in, smiling nastily as he plucks the dagger out of your hands and place it back on the table. Oddly enough, no blood remains on the blade.

"Or, you can pay him the five gold and get out of the obligation for healing from the Air Clerics next time you are injured."

To which Brother Samuel purples and glares at his fellow cleric, but nods, reluctantly.

"Or that."

If you'd like to continue shoot me a PM and make those same rolls in the roll thread. Anyone else in the party, and now outside, is free to notice the cheering and head over to participate in the event.

[OverWilliam]

He nodded at the congratulations, and listened carefully to his further options. "Yes, about this obligation, that I'm sure you likely agreed to somewhere along this process... Could you explain it to me, again?" He said, putting stress on the last word and only barely stopping short of saying out loud that there had been no first time. His gaze was level, but a bit dark as the dagger was removed from his grasp (with no outward struggle), and his dagger hand flexed longingly as soon as it was missing. "Tell me, Brother Samuel," He said, turning to the more reasonable of the two, and barely dismissing the other at all. "If I were to repay the five gold now, in what way would that better my standing than before I... agreed to your sponsorship?" Again, the concept of consent to the cleric's demands is broodingly reemphasized. "Would I be correct in assuming that you were returned your 10 gold entry when I won, and then would be taking all of my winnings, in return for... nothing?"

[Fishy]

Krane eyes the brothers and considers their proposition. She didn't enjoy the prospect of people talking about her while she wasn't there, not one bit. But, she can tell they're insistent, and she decides not to press it. For right now.

"Thanks, don't mind if I do. Girls?"

She makes her way through the mall, keeping an eye out for a place to spend some coppers on terrible food. Preferably meat-on-a-stick. She could go for tearing something apart with her teeth right now.